I’m seriously considering moving from consulting into a corporate strategy role at a FAANG company, and I keep getting surface-level answers about what the transition actually looks like. People tell me “the pace is slower” and “you’ll have more time to think,” but that’s not really helpful when I’m trying to decide if this is the right move.
What I really want to know is: what does day one actually look like? How does your day-to-day differ from consulting? How much of your consulting toolkit translates immediately, and where do you feel like you’re starting from zero? I’m also curious about the learning curve—are you expected to hit the ground running with business knowledge, or do they give you genuine onboarding time?
I’ve heard that a big part of the shift is understanding company politics and how decisions actually get made at scale, which is different from consulting-style problem solving. But I want to hear from people who actually lived through this transition—not just the recruiter pitch.
For those of you who made this jump, what surprised you most in your first 90 days? And what would you have prepared differently before your start date?
welcome to the real world where nothing actually changes and your ideas go to die in committee. first 90 days you’re gonna be in onboarding hell learning systems nobody uses, meeting people you’ll never talk to again, and realizing that the org chart you studied doesn’t reflect how decisions actually get made. your consulting frameworks are gonna feel useless for the first month and then you’ll find a few things that actually work.
omg im so excited for u!! that sounds like an amazing oppty. id love to know too bc im thinking bout similar moves soon!
The first 90 days typically breaks down into three distinct phases. Weeks 1-3 are fundamentals: understanding the business model, org structure, current strategic priorities, and existing initiatives already underway. Your consulting background actually accelerates this substantially—you can learn faster than internal hires. Weeks 4-6, you’ll be pulled into stakeholder meetings and start understanding where decisions actually get made. This is where you discover the formal org chart versus the real power structure. Weeks 7-12, you begin contributing analysis and perspective on actual business problems. The critical adaptation is this: in consulting, you drive the narrative. In corporate strategy, you enable decision-making for people who already have significant context. Your toolkit translates, but the application is fundamentally different. Come prepared to listen more than you did in consulting.
I made this exact jump eight months ago, and honestly the scariest part wasn’t the work—it was realizing how much context I was missing. First week I jumped into a strategy meeting thinking I understood what we were discussing, but three people kept referencing historical decisions I’d never heard of. By week three I was doing internal interviews just to understand why the org was structured the way it was. Your consulting brain wants to diagnose and fix immediately, but you first need to actually understand the patient. That took me about six weeks.
Your consulting experience is going to be such an asset during onboarding! You already know how to learn quickly and work with ambiguity. The first 90 days will set you up for success—embrace the learning phase and you’ll be thriving before you know it!