Is engineering consultancy worth it as a starting position?
So, I will be graduating from my MSc in Chemical Engineering in September. I have studied in a top 100 uni for my BSc (RUG) and a top 50 uni (KUL) for my MSc. I would say I was one of the best in my BSc and an average student in my MSc. I really got burned out after the last 6 years of continuously grinding to achieve these degrees. Both my BSc and MSc thesises are based on cellulose and cellulose-based products (e.g. cellulose-stabilized emulsion gels and recycling of cellulosic cotton). From the name of the universities you might have already understood that I am based in Western Europe and to be even more concrete, I am a EU citizen as well. There are a lot of issues in the chemical industry, almost nobody is hiring juniors, salaries are not as they were 2-3 years ago for starting positions and also the competition is insane (since there’s at most 1 open junior position in companies like INEOS or ExxonMobil). Considering all of the above-mentioned facts and based on my personal preferences/feelings, I don’t think working for a big company that produces base chemicals is my cup of tea. I speak 4 languages as mother tongues and a 5th one ( Dutch ) at A2/B1 level. I am sociable , great at “ selling” and a very extroverted guy who turned 25 recently. I thought that going into consultancy would be great for me and all my acquaintances have been telling me the same..
But I don’t want to work for the big players (e.g. KPMG , Deloitte, etc). I’d like to be part of a real engineering consultancy company and not be surrounded by all those “ consultants” who have no idea what a mass balance or energy balance is …
I forgot to mention that I do have some experience in the field (6 months) but a lot of it is outside the field. I had to work my whole student life to be able to sustain myself and cover the study costs..
So before jumping in with conclusions about not having “ 3 years of experience before graduating a MSc degree” , please consider what was written above as well.
So what do I do guys? Should try going into consultancy ? Are there any other better choices in your opinion ? Should I maybe try and go into the textile business or cellulose-based business? What is the best sub-field or country to go ?
I am so lost and would very much like some piece of advice from people who know the field.
Thank you a lot in advance !