- Nicole Chan Loeb is a 38-year-old photographer, videographer and mother of two.
- She started her career as a management consultant at Deloitte and left it after two years.
- As a photographer, she can be there for her family while doing work she loves.
This essay as told is based on a conversation with Nicole Chan Loeb, a 38-year-old former Deloitte management consultant who quit in 2010 and is now a photographer and videographer in Boston. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I always loved numbers and excelled at math, which is why I majored in finance in college. During my first year, I took a business course that involved project-based work, sparking my passion for management consulting. After speaking with Deloitte representatives at an on-campus career fair, I applied and was accepted to an internship for the summer after my first year.
I enjoyed the internship. I had a great team, lots of support and a clear progression path within the company. At the end of the summer, I received a return offer which I accepted.
As the child of first-generation immigrants, I felt like my parents came to the United States so I could have these opportunities. I think they were excited and proud of me for studying finance, graduating and landing a job like this. But this path did not last long.
I hated the culture of exhausting hustle
I started working at Deloitte full-time in the fall of 2008 after graduating. My job required extremely long hours in what was called the 3-4-5 schedule: three nights in a hotel, four days at a client site, and a fifth day back in the office. I flew to a client site every Monday, stayed there until Wednesday evening, and flew back to Boston on Thursday. He it wasn’t a good work-life balance.
I worked on three major projects during my two years at Deloitte. Being between projects was called being “on the beach,” which could hurt your utilization rate, affecting raises and bonuses. We were expected to find projects to stay busy on, so I took on initiatives for the company like volunteering and writing white papers.
It was a culture of hustle, churn and burn, and it was exhausting. I hated it, but I was too shy to voice my concerns.
I have heard senior executives and associates express their frustrations with lack of time with partners and families. Having a family and balance was something I wanted in the future, but I saw myself getting carried away for the next 15-25 years, feeling financially comfortable but never having time to return home. House.
Me too I didn’t feel much job satisfaction.; despite a lot of work, my impact seemed insignificant. One particularly horrible week, I said to myself: I can’t imagine feeling this way for the rest of my life.
I remember sitting in a Thai restaurant and talking to my then-boyfriend, now husband, about it. He said, “You are unhappy. You will rush to the ground. Why don’t you leave? He encouraged me to pursue a career in photography. Ever since I was young, I’ve loved photography, and thanks to my salary at Deloitte, I had upgraded my gear and equipment, but I never considered it as a career.
At first I ignored it, but I started thinking about it more and finally decided to take the plunge. In August 2010, I gave my eight weeks’ notice to give the company time to find a replacement and in October 2010, at age 24, I left Deloitte.
The fear of having to return to finance motivated me
During my eight-week notice period, I created a website, posted on social media, and handed out business cards at marketing and networking events on Fridays and Saturdays when I was home .
I made gentle announcements to friends. Some were supportive and immediately referred me to friends and family, but others warned me that I had wasted my college education and that photography should remain a hobby or side hustle.
In fact, I didn’t tell my parents for the first two years. They had worked so hard for me to say, “Hey, I’m going to quit my very comfortable, stable job with benefits and a salary.” retirement plan do my own thing” was terrifying.
I gave myself two years to replace my salary at Deloitte. If I didn’t succeed, I would return to another corporate job and keep photography as a hobby. The fear of having to return to finance if I couldn’t make it work was a very strong motivator.
It took me several months to find my first clients. To make myself known, I did free photo shoots and helped experienced photographers. I put kindness and passion into my first clients and asked them to give me honest feedback, and they responded with referrals.
I found this many skills that I had acquired at Deloitte transferred to my new career: active listening to customer concerns, professional communications with customers, presentation skills, understanding what customers want, both expressed and unspoken, and bridging strategy and creativity.
After the first 18 months, I saw that this could be a sustainable career.
I would never consider going back
I never miss working in consulting and I wouldn’t consider returning to that fast-paced life, although I’m not sure the culture has changed.
Be a wedding photographer allows me to be present for my family while doing work that I love. I choose clients who align with my values and structure my schedule to be intentional with my time. I can pick up my kids from school every day, have midweek adventures, and never have to ask permission to travel.
I love capturing small, unexpected emotions that couples and families will cherish forever. I have no regrets and I am very grateful to my partner who encouraged me to pursue this passion.
I am grateful to the mentors I had at Deloitte, who were excellent role models, endlessly brilliant and supportive. I still use the skills they taught me today in my photography work, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without the experience of working there.
I hope the humility and kindness that propelled my career forward have not disappeared. It’s really cool to be able to make a comfortable living taking photos, and I don’t take that for granted.
Representatives for Deloitte did not respond to requests for comment.
If you’re leaving a Big Four consultancy to pursue a different career and would like to share your story, email Jane Zhang at janezhang@businessinsider.com.