u/Flimsy-Cow4718

Currently at a Big 4 consulting firm in Canada in enterprise applications / CRM consulting with ~4 YOE. I’m currently at the Senior Consultant level and have been confirmed for promotion to Manager next month.

Current situation at my firm:

• Opportunity to work on a very large, high-visibility transformation program over the next year
• Strong support from leadership
• But the last couple of years have been a pretty intense grind

I also received an offer from a Big 5 bank in Canada:

• Senior Manager, CRM – Digital Product Owner Lead
• Roughly ~10-15% higher total compensation than my current year comp
• Large team with a couple direct reports
• Likely more stable / better WLB

Long-term I’m interested in:

• Product / Strategy / Tech-adjacent roles
• Leadership growth
• Keeping optionality open

Trying to decide between:

1. Staying in consulting another 1–2 years, getting Manager experience, and leveraging the large transformation engagement into stronger exits later
2. Taking the bank role now for immediate leadership experience, product ownership exposure, stability, and better WLB

Would appreciate perspectives from people who:

• Left consulting for industry/banking
• Transitioned from enterprise applications/CRM consulting into Product or Strategy
• Have seen both consulting and bank career trajectories firsthand

What would you optimize for in this situation?