Working at PwC: My Honest Experience & What Really Went Down

[@GreenEnvy.]

Big 4 companies are for young people to burn out from. Do NOT get into burnout careers. Your 30's will have you re-evaluate your life priorities. You will learn that love from family and friends and free time equals happiness, not a good paycheck and constant burnout.

[@thaliagonzalez9625]

Omg your comment help me to decline an offer that I have received to work in my 30's as a manager, I worked there when I was 20's, I quit 6 years ago and I haven been so happy since then 💜

[@GreenEnvy.]

@@thaliagonzalez9625 I'm so happy to read this today Thalia. You have made my day. Happiness above all else, that's the northern star.

[@daniel-san836]

all that burnout whilst making those at the top millions a year. f that

[@Yazatha]

Little late but this is 100% true. Almost burnt out during my Master‘s which was quite challenging and worked part-time during that time just to improve my CV. We shouldn’t see our careers as a sprint but more like a marathon. Put in effort but do not exaggerate otherwise you have to quit early

[@bla7091]

I feel like I dodged a bullet by declining EY after reading this. It wouldn't have even paid more for the extra stress, would've had a manager job title but paid like 30k less than being a developer in a bank. So not really worth it...

[@DavidAntony-gq7id]

Great video. We all strive for financial independence and better life. It’s not difficult in achieving this through the right investment, living frugally, and budgeting. I’m glad I learned early in life to work hard for financial freedom

[@harrisonjamie794]

In my opinion, venturing into a good investment is not just a strategy for generating passive income but a profitable saving method for future expenses. Those who fail to make the right decisions early in life end up regretting it. Nevertheless, investing can be difficult and risky doing it solely, For this reason, I advise seeking help from professionals(financial advisors). It’s not just watching videos and reading investment books the challenge is using them well.

[@DavidAntony-gq7id]

@@harrisonjamie794 sincerely, I’m truly inspired by your words. I’m very interested in investing and I have got a good sum of money which I’m ready to put in with the right information. My biggest fear is losing my money on the wrong investment. For this reason, I’m willing to listen to your suggestions and ideas on how to invest wisely.

[@harrisonjamie794]

@@DavidAntony-gq7id As an OAP with a lot of experience, I firmly believe that the success of any investment depends on having the right information, regardless of what others say, do whatever you set your mind to. Warren Buffer always says "be greedy when others are fearful and be fearful when others are greedy". This is certainly the trick to succeeding even when others fail. I made $100,000 working with MARTHA ALONSO HARA a licensed financial adviser . It’s been a promising experience so far with her.

[@DavidAntony-gq7id]

@@harrisonjamie794 Please, how do I connect with your financial planner?

[@harrisonjamie794]

@@DavidAntony-gq7id quickly do a web check where you can connect with her, and do your research with her full name mentioned

[@hernan2606]

I just quit my job at PwC yesterday after 8 long years. I was a Tax Senior, so I can attest that the strain they put you through during the busy seasons is so hard to endure that I don't understand how I put up with it for so long, but I hope it was the rignt move, and I'm looking forward to enjoying my new job. Of course, not everything was bad, but I just think PwC was not the right place for me at this point in my life.

[@gwynethgrove772]

I worked for Deloittes and PwC in the UK for a total of 20 years. I never had too little to do, there was always someone needing help with something and a lot of my work was self generated by exploring the opportunities in other departments and winning new clients. It’s a managers job to make sure their team is fully occupied ( has chargeable time). It’s a shame you didn’t have such a good experience but working for a Big 4 LLP is not for everyone and it’s good you’ve found your niche.

[@wallysan31]

It tends to depend on the regional market and specialty. I know that where I live, Big 4 for audit/tax services seems to work their entry level employees to the bone. Turnover is always gonna be high for them. Lots of experience to be won from it though, with amazing exit opportunities.

[@manniriliyasumusa9367]

Wow, I am financial services internal auditor at PwC Nigeria, I wish I can have 6 months free without any engagement.

[@independentconsultant]

Haha it's either you have nothing to do or you're swamped with work, there's no in-between!

[@Trecorgsc1]

Hey good day , I'm also Nigerian and currently studying international taxation and law in Germany. Can I please get in touch ? Just for some questions and advice .I'd appreciate

[@akahige1762]

100% agree with you mannir, this guy is just begging people for work why dont you just enjoy your free time being paid dont worry they will drown you in work very soon lol its like a slave asking his masters for work

[@baodk4417]

Been in PwC (Vietnam) for 6 years and still counting. It's nice to hear you talking about your journey in the firm. One think I want to tell people before joining PwC is: do not think it's something "fancy", it's a job just like any others and there will be ups and downs, always leave some time for self-reflection and see if it's still worthwhile or not. A good thing is most of my colleagues who left thought that the time at PwC brought some good value for them. I also experienced a few month of bench-time during my time as an associate, but I had to help with proposal development a lot, so not really doing nothing. What's nice is that my team was quite open about the situation, it was clear for me that it's a tough time for the team but everyone is on the same boat and still trying.

[@farahal8928]

Lol it’s not as glamorous as I thought . wonder what other former employee think of the big four and im chasing after them to take a chance on me and give me an opportunity . I admire you for sharing your experience while being transparent about it rather than being thrown down to the deep end and forced to learn how to swim on ur own. You were meant to end up at DXC and PWC was just a self- discovery period that you had to go through to to get Workday certification and discover your talent. The universe is always with you Mahdi and directing you towards abundance and opportunities.

[@independentconsultant]

Appreciate it Farah, we all need first-time experiences like this to help us grow in our careers! Yours is coming soon!

[@mohameddawood97]

What I liked about your video is that it's super realistic and that so many of us can relate to your experience (regardless of the field) it's true that at the end of the day all of firms/entities are just business and as frustrating as it sounds, this is how it goes in the work field. I'm hoping that I can find that moment/opportunity that I can showcase my skills and be able to dictate how am going to work.

[@vanessagarcia3482]

This video was awesome! Super helpful. I love the timeline graph and the way you talked about the different phases you went through. I used to work in the industry for a Fortune 5 company in a Workday implementation as well and I went through similar phases. Now I am considering joining a big 4 firm and this video gave me lots of insight! Thank you!

[@fahadh5548]

You are still very young. PWC gave u the jumpstart you needed in corporate world many people are looking for in a MNC. I think it will take u a long way. But a great representation of MNC and showing those who fantasize working in MNC is that not everything is sunshine and rainbows out there

[@ImperioInmobiliario]

I wouldnt advice anyone to work more than 3-5 years in Big4 firms. The stress they put you through.. its just not worth it.

[@independentconsultant]

True!

[@GoceDelcevMKD]

On point. My lecturer at uni told me his son ended up in hospital because of too much stress at PWC. Best decision in my life not to start my career there.

[@SuperIceman44]

@@GoceDelcevMKD Like it or not, first 3-4 years of your career in Big4 will set you up for your future. If you go to an interview and there's a person who has Big4 experience competing against you, you might as well walk out of the room. :)

[@GoceDelcevMKD]

@@SuperIceman44 alright then please enlighten me why majority of the big 4 employees are single, divorced, broke, miserable. And no 3-4 years at least in accounting gets you management,financial accounting role. You can get that by staying commercial and move up the ranks. The only benefit is if you stay with them 15 years become director then CFO in commercial. However I’ve seen way way too many people suffer and quit early because of stress. One of the auditors this year quit his career entirely to become a tourist guide. People are THAT SICK with the work ethic there.

[@peterk814]

It’s not for everyone. Some can’t handle it and quit

[@juselara02]

Man I was offered a Job at EY. At that time I was studying my Master part time (mainly classes on weekends and after office hours). After a long recruitment process they called me to offer me the job on one conditions: I should put my masters on hold because they belived "the time consumption it would bring would be detrimental to my contributions to the firm". I said it was after office and weekends and she subtelty told me that there are not "after office hours" in EY. I simply laught and declined the offer. LOL. Crazy people.

[@Angela-wp2zu]

You are fortunate she was honest with you because it is true. PwC ended up taking most of my weekends. Almost no social life. You are just exhausted by the end of the day and just want to go to sleep 😴.

[@Nick..M]

Heavily seconded and it really really sucks. All work, no life.

[@MixSonaProductions]

finish your Master, get better career path

[@Dernoobzusreal]

@@MixSonaProductions what are better paths in your opinion

[@powergi3996]

I stayed at PwC Montreal in audit for a year and I hated my life for about that whole year. If I could do it again, I'd much prefer going in a smaller firm. A second year from PwC is worth much less than a second year at a small firm because in a Big 4 you do very little different things. In a small firms you do almost everything. The only good thing working at a Big 4 is the company name in your CV, but in retrospect, it doesn't even really matter. The HR partner told me my billing hours were too high, because they have a standard cost for an hour of every staff. Just bill your 35-40 hours per week and everybody will be happy. Even if you work 60-80 hours in a week and even if the partners tell you to charge your real hours, it's a lie.

[@assemaltynbek1091]

Thanks for this video! :) I came to PwC two months ago and i have almost the same experience with ups and downs :) Some days are busy, so I don't have time for lunch and even sleep. And there are other days, when i don't have any work.

[@independentconsultant]

Sounds like my experience too! 😂 Enjoy the free time, but try to learn as much as you can!

[@sunny11992]

How you guys got free time in PwC ....really is this true... I worked here almost 2years ....I didn't get any free time to njoy ..

[@jekt1955]

Just had my interview in PwC in the Philippines and now I'm looking reviews haha. Thanks for this content ^^

[@talkinghat88]

Great video. Consultancy carries a “premium” supported by the impact of solution provided and it is competitive like any other markets. As for stress and burnt-outs I would compare that with what doctors or nurses would have and consider myself lucky.

[@LeboLizMolaba]

Insightful video. You summarised my experience very well, I worked for PwC South Africa. After leaving the firm , I honestly don’t see myself ever working for a consulting firm.

[@Jack-tk1is]

I feel discouraged now to try for Consulting firm 😢. What to do instead !

[@priscy4395]

One man's meat is another's poison. This is exactly what I need after working like a slave for over a decade in the banking industry. I would love to work for Pwc London.

[@spyrosgkoumas5339]

I am currently working at pwc and I am very glad I stumbled upon your video. I recently finished my 7th month working at the company and this video helped me sort and put to words many thoughts I have been having lately. I relate to the things you said a lot and I have had similar experiences. Thank you for posting this! I really enjoyed watching it!

[@bramblessed3586]

I’m currently in the early hiring stages for pwc in nyc. My position is entry level CSA. But the manager during our interview said the position is only called that and I actually won’t be engaging with any clients or customers the position is actually more manual and hands on according to him. Honestly just glad to have a job after this pandemic. Hope it’s a good one.

[@daniel-san836]

obviously just another corrupt company. i'd leave immediately

[@Jack-tk1is]

​@@daniel-san836 where would you join instead ?

[@aishasaeed2467]

Ex PwC but not as a recent grad. Grad experience will be similar as you had at many consultancy’s. Having a big name like PwC early in your career will never be a bad thing and I’m sure the experience you had was way better than many new grads in small poorer firms. Sounds like you stayed positive tho. Personally I found you have to stay for a certain amount of time to get recognition anywhere.

[@GurunathHari]

DXC is lucky to have you. Am a former DXC colleague. Good company. Keep it up Mahdi.

[@independentconsultant]

Thanks man, appreciate it!! :)

[@oliverfernandes3221]

Congratulations!! You figured it out in a year.. took me 6 years, and cost me valuable time wherein I could have gained a solid specific skill

[@FIFII]

is it good to have a specific skill? I'm finishing Gard school and everyone leaving academia hates they they have a specific skill and are not generalists...just wonderings what it is like for consulting - I've done a few projects and I can see why being a generalist is favourable but I guess you don't get the depth of knowledge that way?!

[@cynthiaosiemi4802]

Took me 8. Now in industry and I don't think I'm ever going back

[@lukkash]

Then IMAGINE u have a family and a kid has some health issues and u need to jump over multiple locations in the U.S. or what's more probable in various places in the world. I don't know whether their HR takes into consideration these issues of people who are non-single or who have a family. Assuring some work-life balance is quite crucial.

[@jjw123]

in asia, we do audits till we dropped dead. we get recurring jobs every year and there is always a high turnover rate.

[@independentconsultant]

Yeah audit is a lot different, even here in North America it's busy all year!

[@TheSandip18]

Ex PwC. 1 yr 8 mths. Same “be proactive” crap. Never had a honeymoon/bench phase though.

[@AndyHTu]

This company does so much its overwhelming to understand what they are exactly. I just got an interview with them recently and I really hope I get it. I want to learn about all the stuff they do and build my skillsets off it.

[@Jack-tk1is]

But what do they do exactly & what skills should I develop for the interview?

[@elliotthaddad5885]

Love this video! I’m in the exact same position you were in and this truly inspired me in. I hope things turn out on a bright page soon!

[@jkm402]

Me too

[@schnioula]

You’re cute 🥰

[@sisanamatiwane4152]

I'm currently doing my first year towards accountancy degree. This is so inspiring and brought light to me. Thank you for this video.

[@MrArtVein]

Hey I want to elaborate on what they were saying about asking for opportunities. I've never been at Big4, but I've climbed some big companies pretty fast and I'm an independent consultant now. When they said ask, they didn't really mean ask. What I've learned is take initiative and never ask. If you have access to data then you have it for a reason. If you have insight to add, do the the work and send it to the project lead after you're done. Be autonomous. I've led some big projects because I thought it was a good idea and I built the foundation BEFORE presenting it to executive director level. When they say something is impossible or they tried something already and you put results in their face, what follows is an very different conversation. Now I'm not saying call clients up and all that and cross a line. I'm saying if you see an opportunity develop it then present it. Never ever ever ask for work. Prove yourself by showing them.

[@nicolassilva7088]

Layoff is something that doesnt really occurs over here at PwC Ecuador. A lot of people gets out of the firm to a better remunerated job at any level at any industry

[@jkm402]

Its labour day holiday weekend in the USA.I decided to take this time to think about my career after being super depressed for a whole year at a big 4.I have decided it’s time to quit on Tuesday!I just don’t love what I’m doing and the prestige working for big 4 is long gone for me.

[@curiousboy88]

I was SHOCKED to find out that simply being hired didn't mean that I was eligible to be staffed on all available projects. BUT NO, you still have to prove yourself to get on exciting/challenging projects. There's a lot of favoritism and senior management have their favorite go-to persons and most often than not, you WON'T EVEN FIND OUT about said projects. Then, the HR lady would hound me every Monday morning (without fail) whenever I would bill less than 40 hrs the previous week.

[@reginasylv]

You feel lost at sea due to this favouritism

[@abczwq8364]

yes. This is certainly true. I should move to another company.

[@xxNgocHoaxx]

I had the same experience at KPMG. Seems like all Big 4 are toxic

[@Mster_J]

Why would you not have to prove yourself? Seems like common sense

[@stephanietyaneadeleye]

PwC was interesting. They definitely sold themselves up to what they didn’t meet like you mentioned. Politics was crazy

[@icewolf171]

Wanna try Deloitte? 🤣

[@mikefan6678]

Amazing video, learned a lot about the nature of consulting and big four. Thank you for the sharing!

[@LILsbreezay]

Dude!!! I was at PwC SA and had the same issue, luckily never been on bench until Covid happened. I was also involved with workday and did my certification in Netherlands. I did 3 more sadly by the time I did my last two certificates Covid happened and I was supposed to travel to US! Problem with travelling hey, you have to pay that back! I was there for close to 3 years and had to jump ships as Workday is not that huge here in SA and wanted to work with Finance Systems. Which is what I’m doing now but with a different firm! But PwC will forever be in my blood and will go back most probably for a more senior position in finance or strategy though! All the best man

[@independentconsultant]

So glad to hear from another Workday Consultant man!! All the best, please connect on LinkedIn!

[@SacredSourceTarot]

Yeah anyone fresh out of varsity will not get clients immediately, in fact in any job they hardly give the newbies projects or even the type of work you studied for. I wish new graduates would know this and know what to expect in the work world.

[@independentconsultant]

Yep, would have been nice to be aware! But my hire timing wasn't the best, I started in January where it was slow, some other students started in September and got projects faster!

[@iMakeYoutubeConfused]

But that's not the case here, you're actually qualified to do the work but there is no work to be done XD

[@mb5823]

Great video! I wish they had videos like this in my 20’s giving me a heads up

[@logan_hall_grill_streams]

I have worked for PwC around the same amount of time you had, maybe a little less. You being on the bench for 6 months is highly unusual. When I joined, I was staffed to a project within a week of joining. Since then, I have only been on the bench for maybe 2 weeks max at any given time, and have been fully utilized the rest of the time. My advice to anyone that wants to join: Take advantage of all the certifications they offer you to take. Do this while you still have time and are not over utilized and working 60, 70+ hour weeks. Like in your case, your Workday certifications were valuable elsewhere. I am now a certified Scrum Master thanks to PwC, and while I don't have any intention of leaving any time soon, this is a certification I can take literally anywhere and provide instant value. Best of luck to you on your new venture.

[@RS-ho4qj]

He must not be good resource technically (highly unlikely) or so socially ( as he has already understood he didn't like pwc)

[@irissassi8228]

Tax consultant in pwc Milan (ita) for a year with the 15% of average chargeable time. The management was just ridiculous. Fun fact: I relocated to Luxembourg and the situation radically changed! Many times it depends from the country and team you find.

[@I_AM_ENTR0PY]

2 years of KPMG Audit and Assurance under my belt. Would not repeat the experience. I feel the whole "career building" aspect is bullshit. I have plenty of friends who got other jobs and who are great professionals for it. What they didn't have is 14 hour work days, and a total lack of personal life. Big4 are not worth it. Invest your time in yourselves, or into starting your own business. If you want a job, just work at an easy-going company with great perks and you'll be fine. No need to go through the meat grinder just so the partners can give themselves a pat on the back.

[@seedhiBaatNoBakwas.]

May I know Which part of the world are you from...I am actually surprised after getting to know a 14 hrs / day tiring experience from a non Indian

[@static786]

Feel stressed just watching this. Ex-Big as well.

[@independentconsultant]

Hahaha we all are!

[@CoHzus]

Thanks so much for the video man, honestly an eye opener and kind of makes me a a bit nervous. I am just like you before about to graduate and starting at a Big4 as an IT consultant in June. This was really helpful thank you

[@independentconsultant]

You're welcome man! Good luck to you and make sure you take advantage yo every opportunity they give you!

[@elliottebaik]

This was literally my experience. I was in the Salesforce practice. Glad you found your out.

[@Jack-tk1is]

All these, Is discouraging me to try consulting 😢

[@juanfelipecaicedo7035]

You described my work experience at PwC. I was an intern for a year. The “be proactive” mindset also bothered me a lot, I also spent many days without doing anything jut sitting at my desk. What frustrated me the most was the lack of job opportunities available to continue after my internship ended (by the time my contract ended there was none) Overall most days I was extremely stressed and swamped with work and didn’t even have time to have lunch.

[@Bambotb]

Most days you were overwhelmed with work but most days there was no work ? Make it make sense

[@srnght]

@@Bambotb "Many days" =/= "most days" Learn to read

[@Mster_J]

@@srnghtyou sound like a great person to work with

[@18lillypie]

Thanks for this video! I really enjoyed how genuine and honest you were about your experience. I’m currently interning for a Big Four company and always love to hear different people’s experiences during that time there. This was super helpful as I’m considering my future post-grad options!

[@leannemoniz7094]

Had a very similar experience at another consultancy , as a fresher getting people to give you worthwhile tasks are so difficult. I left after 1.5 years as it wasn’t good for my career

[@independentconsultant]

I'm sorry to hear that! What made you realize it wasn't good for your career?

[@clarityofthought]

how much did they pay you

[@raulsanches3619]

Spot on. 6 months on the bench is crazy

[@mercybadoe3086]

This is very helpful! I almost went Big 4 right out of school. And I’m glad I didn’t lol! I have friends who are BURNT out now after 3 years & taking sabbaticals.

[@hazew2507]

That’s me!

[@rafaelodossantos4210]

I quit consulting companies for 4 years now and i am so happy

[@garvitkhera9018]

I am working at Grant Thornton and going through bench phase. It absolutely feels bad when expectations doesn't meet reality.

[@independentconsultant]

Totally get you man!

[@Molton11]

Hi, another great video. I am in a similiar position. I work as a consultant for Dynamics 365 ERP system and the billable hours thing is a pain in the… Exactly as you said it is not something you can influence but the managers go straight to you when your billable hours are below some level. Also senior colleagues hesitate to give you work because you dont have the experience yet, however the only way to get the experience is working on a project. You kinda need luck to be assigned to an interesting project and to have someone at your work who can help you out if you need to….

[@maxwelljayes9428]

How can I DM you to discuss your current role??? I was as a D365 consultant as well!!

[@maxwelljayes9428]

Idk how to DM haha

[@MsCarito09]

My first year at PwC I had like 4 months of “available” time. I guess all balanced out with my following months of 55 hrs a week. Kinda miss PwC though. I was in Audit.

[@independentconsultant]

Audit is a complete other game, I hear they're often busy! Glad you enjoyed your time there :)

[@sagarkulkarni2590]

kinda normal here, in India!

[@mohammedromanshaikh8025]

Thank you Mahdi for Sharing your story...👍 Yes real life and also job life is all about ups and downs.... Every video of yours is something there to learn...👍👏🔥... Greetings From India

[@independentconsultant]

Appreciate it Mohammed!!

[@5haursirnaik282]

You are lucky bro people are working to the bones in different corporation please appreciate that

[@KajolPhadnis]

This is SUCH A GREAT VIDEO!

[@independentconsultant]

Awwww thanks Kajol!! 😇😇

[@quanglinhnguyen4050]

Love the James Clear Hournal you've got on the shelf.

[@independentconsultant]

Haha you noticed! James Clear is on another level man, trying to learn as much as possible!

[@KolumbienInch]

I've been working for PwC Spain, and we do have the chance to choose which project we would like to be part of sometimes, and if not to bug to get into one, but I've never seen myself "on the bench" for more than one day.

[@daniel-san836]

obviously just another corrupt company. i'd leave immediately

[@dontsaygabe]

This sounds completely normal when you’re starting out. The coolest projects go to senior staff.

[@priscillaidehenre3205]

Thank you for this video, I am a student working with a small consulting firm, I was lucky to have 2 clients assigned to me just after a month of joining the firm, unfortunately one client asked I should be taken off thier account because I was making so many mistakes, I felt really bad ,because this what not my expectations of myself , my goal was to prove my worth and value, now I am on what you referred to as the bench stage , everyday I ask my manager for project and there isn't any for me, I have this feeling I will be terminated anytime soon. I won't let this define who I am , instead it's really motivating me to grow myself professionally .but I feel sad though!

[@ef1327]

Thanks for sharing your experience! It is very value for us! I have just joined in Madrid office.

[@independentconsultant]

My pleasure!! Good luck to you :)

[@thomasmarten9945]

I’m starting in next August! Wish me luck!

[@shah5757]

Working for large companies is very stressful, long hours, best to choose smaller firms or become self employed.

[@sfdanielsf]

I'm currently a 1st year business consultant at a big4 firm and I can relate to every detail you exposed in this video. I have a master's degree in process engineering focused in machine learning for industry, state of the art programming, storytelling and problem solving skills, but the projects do not come as quickly as I desire, and not as complex as I would need. Also, most of my activities are just 'support jobs', such as ppt making and UX improvement in some random tool. With COVID, most of the travelling is now gone, and the workdays with 10h of calls can become not something a newcomer can enjoy (even learning a lot), since the salary is way lower than several other firms. The only benefits I can see joining a big4 is the name on the cv and the career opportunity if (and only if) you 'fit' with your sector and specialities of this sector, otherwise, you will be just the support jobs guy until you quit for something that put more valor at your habilities.

[@miguelalvarado1440]

Great Insides, Dude. Thanks for sharing. A lot of success for you! #Blessings

[@zooz2675]

Such a realistic and honest account of your experience, as well as being supremely motivational. Thank you for sharing your experience. 🙏🏽

[@eu9934]

Great. I could feel the ups and downs from own experiences! I’m living the reality phase right now haha

[@independentconsultant]

Good luck!!

[@JaneParkerBowls]

i hate when they say "you need to be proactive and ask around for opportunities" when really there's not much work left to do. What did you even enter into your time sheets during those 6 months you had no projects to do? That was an issue for me during one internship at an accounting firm

[@independentconsultant]

I KNOW RIGHT? hahaha there's literally nothing, what do you want me to do? Vanessa, I was entering "admin" codes that counted as non-billable, and one time my Manager asked me why I was at 10% billable for over a month ahhaha, I was like "Well....there's no project..."

[@JaneParkerBowls]

yeah that's just ridiculous, shows how much the manager knew what was going on that he hardly realised you had nothing to do all that time and had to do admin all day

[@lwazimgoqi2928]

And you would think such happens in third world countries I am also an ex employee of PwC -South Africa it was nonsense no tangible skills and transferable skills it was a joke

[@33alei]

I had a similar situation, i spent 4 months on bench at another company, i literally had absolutly nothing to do i was not even assigned a client manager yet, i got scolded because i had 30 hours of iddle time... the other 130 were trainings.

[@JaneParkerBowls]

@@33alei yea same I got in trouble for misclassifying the time on my timesheet. 4 months is ridiculous

[@Qatium]

Great job Primal - thanks for sharing👏

[@ishaac2428]

Great video and quality presentation of your time at PWC👍🏻

[@baldeepmanhas8178]

Hello, Your experience is so much relatable to me and the only difference is I have certification s and experience working in Cornerstone On Demand...A strong LMS and LXP firm

[@nakoolgarg]

Bro. I also worked with PwC between 2015-16 and coincidentally I was also there for 1 year 10 months. haha 😄 I also had similar experience like you. I think, that's how most non statutory roles at Big4 struggles getting clients.

[@independentconsultant]

Hahahaa we're the same man! Yeah timing is key when it comes to clients work

[@jamescrenshaw5097]

Great video, love your unvarnished commentary

[@themovingdance2744]

I worked in a large USA 🇺🇸 consultancy as a senior consultant and worked around the clock due to the time differences. I was on the same salary in 2000 that they are paying now in the industry! I worked really hard, had high value clients and output. The best part of my role was managing and leading the team. It was great to be with them. But my boss expected me to stay late, be on line at 6.00 am and drop all my personal arrangements for a client. I went onto a different firm in Change, and Communications where I was made redundant after 6 weeks when 9/11 happened. It changed my life and I went contracting and eventually set up my Own LTD company and Social Enterprise for children. I decided I wanted to dance in Brazil more than work with power hungry greedy directors .So I stopped. I had a lot of challenges and that also has led me to my age at 60 of working in Social Justice and supporting learning disabled students to find training g and work. I also lived in South America for 7 years and that is where my Love of living lies 🌳

[@independentconsultant]

Amazing work man, we should connect

[@shawnlin9873]

I worked for Assurance at PwC China and your comment on the problem on billing hours really struck me...The firm expect us to have 'high utilization rate' when I don't even get to choose my engagement, and everyone are willing to work at engegements with long OT hours so they don't get dropped down to the bottom among the peers. It's almost like we are competing who can handle OT the most...

[@independentconsultant]

Shawn this is exactly what happened to me! Hahaha I don't get how we're evaluated on something we don't control! Thank God we didn't compete for OT hours, but there was competition for projects!

[@TheJamonLance]

From a current senior manager in a b4 (me): You dont choose your project, even as a manager. Selling is quite hard actually. There is always a dispute between managers on who gets who. You always want the people with the best skills, and that work better together. We fight for the top tiers. Yes, there are sometimes over optimistic staffing from year to year, where we thought we would need 20 people and we need only 15, but top performers ALWAYS get their utilization solved by the demand. Is a super easy way to find out who do we really want in the evaluation process.

[@MFG63]

Awesome video, thanks for the insight! subscribed

[@LawlietLevi]

Yup, I'm working at PwC and I've been nodding the past 15 minutes to your video hahaha thanks a lot for this video

[@daledervin3672]

HAHA! You are absolutely right! I didn’t even have to watch your entire video to hear everything that happened to me! PwC is a career-killing waste of time, the most deceitful and utterly wasteful place I ever worked, and I was there for almost eight years. They purposely put you into positions you have no control over, and try to assign blame to you for short comings. I HATE PwC, and the backstabbers they promote into leadership. It’s all smoke and mirrors, fed by unwitting clients. Good for you for telling it like it is!

[@krishanushekhar2955]

I'm a fresh grad and about to join PwC India. This was really helpful.

[@Jay_B86]

Dont worry.. PwC India practice is under employed (all time)... U may leave PwC India bcoz of wrk pressure, bt ur employer will not lay u off...

[@virajshetty868]

hello krishanu shekhar was it a campus recruitement ?

[@abud7950]

Great video again! I really appreciate your sharings and the valuable insights!

[@independentconsultant]

My pleasure Abud!

[@multifxinc2561]

This is truly why i invested in your mentorship. Because of who you are and what you preach! Honestly was a very amazing video, and keeping me motivated even more. Yesterday hit my biggest day of $9.6k in A SINGLE WEEK! Thanks for all you do!

[@lucyben9173]

Hello I'm a newbie trader and I've blown over 5 accounts already! What do i need to do to succeed in crypto Trading?

[@renelacad6529]

@@lucyben9173 Get an account manager mate,go for Tradingfxstation

[@multifxinc2561]

@@lucyben9173 why don't you trade with Tradingfxstation?the one this channel always talk about. I now make an average of $9.6k weekly from their account management service.

[@lucyben9173]

@@multifxinc2561 Hi how do I sign up to trade with them please?

[@multifxinc2561]

@@lucyben9173 send the company an email admin@ tradingfxstation .com

[@silaslefaux]

I agree with everything you said ! EVERYTHING AT THE PARIS OFFICE !

[@sunny11992]

Nice man ..5 6 months u r on bench doing just admin work..doing certifications traveling ..making connections..njoying... Nice .....then you got the projects...2 clients ....what only 2 really.... when I have joined PwC with in 15days m started handling 4 to 5 clients and after that it was increase to 20 ...I saw a comment in which he was talking about stress and pressure .. U r just in starting phase... lots of things you will get to know soon ...my working hours was much higher then 40hrs in a week but we can't fill in timesheet more then 40hrs...

[@MarksmanSpecialist]

thanks i stumbled across this video, i always curious what consultants do at the big 4. and yes thanks for reminder, big companies are profit centers, too many consultant and too few clients = layoff

[@Charlie-ed5ul]

Not the case in SA. None of the big 4 laid people off even during the pandemic. Not even salary cuts.

[@andym3848]

Consulting firms are just as good as training grounds and are similar in many ways. I worked from a consulting firm for 8 yrs and had pretty much the same experiences. Heaps of trainings and travel everywhere overseas are the good parts. Way below average market salary and work-life balance are my main struggle even during my senior years. Your performance (under the bell curve) is measured by how much billable hours you clocked in. All of these only exist in the consulting world. There’s greener pastures outside that industry.

[@kaizen1723]

What a crazy business model! They invest 1000s of $ in you with certifications and then not have you be able to repay that investment with billable hours.. My view after being in the finance industry for over 20 years. Consultants are a waist of money. In house people can do a much better job (and always do) because they know and understand the business.

[@Liam-iv7wk]

I've concluded after some time in the financial industry and then a year long auditing stunt in PWC 2 things: if you're going to have a happy life eventually you need to leave tje rat race entirely and probably become a business owner of sorts. If not that one must bounce around to another job something between every 1-3 jobs.

[@ruyperez8276]

Thank you Mahdi. I am starting reading that book.

[@atharvagupta9355]

Just joined PwC India a month and a half ago as a 6 month Intern with a PPO, still waiting for the honeymoon phase to start 😞

[@TheKingofmelbourne]

You are lucky when compared to the way offices function in asian countries. Here allowances mentioned in engagement for covering staff expenses are treated as the firms revenue. Profit sharing partners enjoy every perks and has no remorse.

[@Goat_-sx1cy]

I work at one of PwC's Acceleration centers in India and I would love to move to Canada, do my Masters and eventually work for PwC Canada. Your video was more or less true.

[@TLM07]

In big4 you are a number. It is hard to say... but most of the time is really complicated to survive 😕

[@shaimaamkh]

You described the whole situation exactly 💯

[@jotttis8680]

PwC audit is a completely different story. You will never have a shortage of tasks.

[@independentconsultant]

Yeah audit is a complete different story!

[@jotttis8680]

@@independentconsultant which major do you think most consultants at pwc had? Is it common to see accounting grads get consulting positions?

[@independentconsultant]

@@jotttis8680 it's not common simply because accounting majors often apply to accounting roles, however they will still take you into account if you apply to consulting role. My great friend that you can see in my other PwC video is an accounting major and works with me in Consulting.

[@jotttis8680]

@@independentconsultant ok thats good to know!! I have also heard a lot of auditors move into risk consulting after a few years so maybe its still a possibility down the road!

[@independentconsultant]

@@jotttis8680 definitely!!

[@jasondads9509]

I was on bench of over an entire year.... Now i'm surprised I wasn't let go (not at pwc, some other big consulting company)

[@saulzenteno4467]

I subscribe to your channel because I relate so so much to your experience right now at TCS from my side, but also because youre feaking handsome

[@jiexuanzhang2110]

so true! thanks for sharing!

[@FIFII]

this reminds me of my grad school journey

[@bsvphotography7]

Not just PWC, I could relate the same with my ex-company which was Cognizant. I realized this soon around 24 months and shifted to a very good company. Now I feel that I am in a comfort zone and looking for new opportunities.

[@kiruthika9715]

Can you please say which company you shifted????

[@bidishah_official]

All the best!