Advice on career decisions

Given your goals and the trade-offs between consulting and the industry role, here’s an actionable breakdown:

  1. Immediate Income & Debt Reduction: The industry role would bring in $200K/year, providing immediate relief to tackle your $100K debt and build up savings, which would give you a strong financial foundation. If you accept, prioritize putting the extra income toward debt and emergency savings first, then toward a retirement or investment account to start catching up.

  2. Career Longevity & Stability: In an industry role, your career might progress more steadily, with fewer stressors around client-facing background checks. This could help maintain a stable income stream without the intense work-life trade-offs of consulting. The long-term compensation may be capped below consulting levels, but the steadiness and increased predictability could let you focus on consistent saving and investing.

  3. Future Financial Goals in Consulting: Staying in consulting offers a higher upside if you aim to reach a high-income bracket faster. To maximize this route, set a target timeline (e.g., 5 years) to leverage consulting’s earning potential, then consider transitioning into an industry role or independent consulting as a “semi-retirement” plan, which could offer a softer landing without a high background check risk. Also, investing heavily in retirement accounts while in consulting could accelerate your wealth accumulation.

Ultimately, the industry role would address immediate financial stability and debt, while consulting is best if you’re prepared to handle the risks and aim for maximum growth.