Hey all! I would really appreciate some perspective from people in sustainability / consulting.
I’m currently at a Big 4 firm on a sustainability team (Senior level). Overall, things are… good on paper. I’ve had strong feedback, my manager genuinely likes working with me, and I feel like I’m on a solid trajectory internally.
That said, I’m starting to feel pretty disengaged with the actual work. A lot of what we do leans heavily toward reporting/compliance-type projects, and I’m finding it pretty repetitive and honestly a bit boring. On top of that, the usual Big 4 dynamics are very real: lots of bureaucracy, slow processes, and a pretty normalized culture of long hours that I’m not sure I want long-term.
Recently, I was approached by ERM and went through the process. They offered me a Senior role as well. So in terms of title, it’s basically a lateral move. Comp is slightly higher — no meaningful jump there.
What’s making this decision tricky:
- I’m hoping to get closer to “real” climate/sustainability work (less reporting, more strategy/implementation/GHG if possible)
- I care a lot about work-life balance, and I’m not convinced Big 4 is the place for that long-term
- I’ve read mixed (leaning negative) things about ERM online, which makes me hesitant, but I also personally know a couple of people who had genuinely positive experiences there
So I’m a bit stuck. On one hand, I’d be leaving a place where I have good internal support and momentum. On the other, I don’t want to get too comfortable doing work I’m not excited about.
Is is worth it?