Great Foundation in LS Strategy, Paid Through Blood Sweat and Tears
Pros
+ Pure play life sciences strategy; majority of the 25+ projects I have been on I have found the content intellectually stimulating and interesting. + Sets strong foundation for life sciences experience, valuable for exits + Vast range of project types and direct early exposure to high level (often step below C-suite) client mix
Cons
- Working hours can be - you guessed it - brutal; in my 4 years they have trended upwards, with recent years averaging 60 - 65 hours a week, with sustained periods 70 hours+ - Issues with retention; many tenured A/Cs leaving for industry, med school, places with better pay and better wlb - creates environment where you are constantly training new hires - Poor recruiting team efforts; our global TA lead worked in retail and tactical transition of the role to LS consulting has been rough. New hires are often in the deep end lacking the skill set for life sciences strategy work, unmotivated, and lack the training because of team burn. MBA SC and PhD C hiring has been lackluster at best, causing large issues for teams working with them
