If you are a new consultant, expect to be highly self-motivated. When I started at the company I was on the bench for two weeks. Since I didn't know much about the company, it gave me an opportunity to learn by surfing the internal website and by taking some classes. However, there was no one to give me any advice or guidance on what topics I should be focusing on (i.e. preparing for future work) or to explain the on-going projects so I could figure out where my skills would have the best fit. In addition, there weren't enough seats at the office. I would go all the way into the office and be sent home.
When I got assigned to a contract, management of the group is undisciplined and unfocused on producing actual results. Perhaps I'm used to working in environments that are profit/loss centers and having a boss put pressure on the team to deliver top-notch products. I'm new to consulting but I've never worked at a place where a boss shows up at 10 a.m., spends most of the day b.s.-ing, and is satisfied with work products that could be done by a high school student. Our boss's habits have trickled through the group and now many people either work from home or come late and spend the day socializing.
As a Senior Consultant I'm doing the same level of work as an Associate (right out of college). Our project boss has assigned the other Senior and me (also a Senior) additional responsibilities but only after we brought the lack of use of our skills and experience to his attention. We have over 30 years of experience between the two of us. We both have advanced degrees and were superstars at our previous firms. We are matrixed to this contract but our company supervisors have expressed no interest in our status or development--to the point that they don't return e-mails or phone calls.
