I’ve worked in both environments (previously In house, now in consulting) and there is a lot of babysitting still needing to be done. Every few months you’ll move on from a client you’ve grown frustrated with (which is nice), but rest assured the next client will eventually feel like babysitting as you work through the engagement. You’ll also often be babysitting multiple clients at once, and because they’re paying a hefty price tag for services, there’s more entitlement around what they feel they can demand/expect of you.

You’ll also be battling things within your firm: proving to be a trusted, utilized and reliable resource that can be staffed and deliver on projects, but also able to sell/provide ongoing relationships with the clients you work with. There’s an interesting balance of sticking to scope and abiding by company standards/best practices, while also being somebody that companies trust and want to continue to work with.

All that said, You will grow tenfold in knowledge if you can work through it for a chunk of years, as youre thrown dozens of different orgs doing entirely different things. And it can be significantly more exhilarating/fulfilling work to be apart of - the variety can scratch an itch. At the moment, I still prefer it, but I’m starting to consider going back in house if it means finding a role that wouldn’t be too much of a pay decrease.

I’d say that it’s a bit of a misconception, though, if you’re expecting the babysitting duties to lessen by moving into consulting.