Why 'One More Year' Is Always the Wrong Answer

You've decided you want to leave consulting.

Not someday. Not eventually. You're done.

But you're not going to leave right now. You're going to stay one more year.

Just one more year to make manager. One more year to get your bonus. One more year until you have two years at this level on your resume. One more year to save more money. One more year to figure out what you actually want to do.

One more year.

Here's what I've learned after working with 200+ consultants through their exits:

"One more year" is never one year. It's three years. Because next year, you'll have the exact same conversation with yourself. And the year after that. And the year after that.

And even if you do leave after exactly one year, you've paid a higher price than you realize.

This article is about why "one more year" is almost always the wrong answer. And how to know if you're actually the exception.

The Lie We Tell Ourselves

Let's start with the most common version of this lie:

"I'll leave after I make [next level]."

You're a senior associate. You tell yourself you'll leave once you make manager.

Why? Because manager looks better on your resume. Because you've already put in the years as a senior associate. Because you're so close.

Then you make manager. And now you're thinking: "I should stay one more year to have manager experience. It's not credible to have 'Manager at McKinsey' on your resume for six months."

So you stay another year. Now you're an experienced manager. And you think: "I'm probably two years from principal. That would really set me up well. Let me just get to principal."

Then you make principal. And now you think: "I've come this far. Partner isn't that far away. And my comp just doubled. Maybe I should just see this through."

You're now eight years into consulting. You started this conversation when you had been there for two years.

This is not a hypothetical. This is the most common pattern I see.

The goal post keeps moving because the logic keeps working. There's always a good reason to stay one more year.

The Five Versions of "One More Year"

Everyone has their version. Here are the most common:

Version 1: "After My Promotion"

This is the most popular version.

The logic: "I'm up for promotion in six months. It would be stupid to leave right before I get promoted. The new title will make me more marketable. Plus I've already put in the time."

The problem: Your promotion doesn't make you more marketable. Your experience does.

Hiring managers don't care that you were a "Manager at McKinsey" instead of a "Senior Associate at McKinsey." They care what you accomplished. What problems you solved. What skills you have.

The title is just a signal of years of service. It doesn't fundamentally change how employers perceive you.

And the "I've already put in the time" logic is sunk cost fallacy. The time you've already spent is gone. It shouldn't influence your decision about the future.

Version 2: "After Bonus Season"

This one at least has a financial logic to it.

You're four months from bonus. Your expected bonus is $40k. It would be financially irresponsible to leave that on the table.

The math seems obvious: wait four months, get $40k, then leave.

But here's what you're not calculating:

Those four months have an opportunity cost. What if the perfect role opened up next month? What if you could start your new job three months earlier and be three months further along in your new career?

What's the present value of starting your post-consulting life three months sooner? What's that worth in terms of experience, learning, trajectory, and fulfillment?

For most consultants, it's worth more than the bonus.

Plus, you're assuming nothing will change in those four months. But in four months, your perspective might shift. You might rationalize staying longer. You might get staffed on a project that extends your timeline.

Four months turns into eight months. Eight months turns into a year.

Version 3: "After This Project"

You're three months into a six-month engagement. You don't want to leave the team in a lurch mid-project. That feels unprofessional.

So you decide to wait until the project ends.

Then two things happen:

1. The project gets extended. That six-month engagement becomes nine months.

2. As soon as this project ends, you get staffed on another one. And now you're thinking "well, I can't leave right at the start of a new project either."

Suddenly a year has passed.

Here's the truth: there will always be a project. The timing will never be perfect. The team will always be slightly inconvenienced by your departure.

That's not your problem to solve.

Version 4: "After I Figure Out What I Want to Do"

This is the version that sounds most reasonable.

"I'm not going to leave until I know what I'm leaving for. I should figure out what I actually want to do, then leave."

The problem: you can't figure out what you want to do while you're working 70 hours a week.

You don't have time to explore. You don't have mental energy to think clearly about your future. You're in survival mode.

And the longer you stay, the more your sense of what's possible shrinks. Consulting becomes your identity. The golden handcuffs get heavier. You become more risk-averse.

You're trying to solve the problem from inside the problem. It doesn't work.

Most people only figure out what they actually want after they leave. Or at least after they start seriously exploring (which requires time and energy you don't have).

Version 5: "After I Save More Money"

You have $60k saved. You think you should get to $100k before you leave. Just to be safe.

Then you get to $100k. And you think: "$150k would be even safer. I'll stay one more year."

There's no amount of money that feels like enough. Because the money isn't the real issue.

You're using financial security as a proxy for psychological safety. You're scared of the unknown. More money feels like it'll make the leap less scary.

It won't. You'll just have more money and still be scared.

At some point you have to make the leap. The question is whether you do it with $60k, $100k, or $150k. The leap is the same size regardless.

The Real Cost of One More Year

Let's talk about what you're actually giving up.

Opportunity Cost: What You're Not Learning

Every year you stay in consulting is a year you're not learning what you'd learn in your next role.

If you want to be a product manager, every year at McKinsey is a year you're not learning how to actually build products. You're not building relationships with engineers. You're not shipping features. You're not learning how customers actually use products.

You're getting better at consulting. Which is the thing you've decided you don't want to do.

And the gap compounds. The person who left consulting two years ago is now two years ahead of you in their new career. They have two years of product experience. Two years of industry relationships. Two years of building their new skill set.

You have two more years of consulting experience. Which doesn't help you with what you actually want to do.

Psychological Cost: The Slow Erosion

Every day you stay when you know you should leave takes a toll.

You're not fully present at work because you're mentally checked out. You're going through the motions. You're not taking the hard projects. You're not developing people. You're not investing in relationships.

This affects your performance. Which affects your confidence. Which makes leaving feel even scarier.

You also become more cynical. More bitter. More convinced that all work is terrible and there's no point in trying to find something better.

This mindset makes it even harder to successfully transition. Because you're bringing negative energy into your interviews. You're approaching your job search from a place of desperation instead of excitement.

The longer you stay, the worse it gets.

Financial Cost: It's Not Just the Bonus

You're thinking about the bonus you'd get if you stay. Or the extra year of salary.

But you're not thinking about the financial upside you're missing in your next role.

If you leave consulting for a growth-stage startup, you might get equity. That equity could be worth $200k in three years. But only if you start now. If you wait a year, you miss that upside.

If you leave for a role where your comp grows faster, every year you delay costs you future earnings.

If you leave for a role that makes you happier, and that happiness makes you more productive, and that productivity leads to faster promotions, the financial upside compounds quickly.

You're calculating the cost of leaving. You're not calculating the cost of staying.

Relationship Cost: The Peers Who Left

Remember your analyst class? Or your associate class?

Some of them have already left. They're two years into product roles at Google. They're running growth at Series B startups. They're doing strategy at Amazon.

They're building relationships with people in those industries. They're learning how those companies work. They're positioning themselves for their next move.

And you're still at the firm.

Every year that gap widens. Their networks are in tech. Your network is still mostly consultants.

This isn't about keeping up with peers. It's about network effects. The person who left two years ago has spent two years building relationships in their new industry. They can now help you transition. They can make introductions. They can refer you.

But you have to actually make the move.

Energy Cost: The Burnout

You're tired. You've been tired for years.

But you tell yourself you can push through one more year.

Here's what happens: that one more year drains you completely. By the time you finally leave, you're burned out. You have nothing left.

Now you're starting your new job exhausted. You don't have the energy to learn fast. You don't have the energy to make a strong first impression. You don't have the energy to invest in new relationships.

This affects your trajectory in your new role. You start slow. It takes you longer to ramp. You don't make the impact you could have made.

If you'd left a year earlier, you'd have started with more energy. You'd have ramped faster. You'd be further along.

The year you spent staying to "set yourself up better" actually set you back.

The Math That Actually Matters

Let's do the real calculation.

You're thinking about staying one more year to get a $50k bonus and the manager title.

Here's what you get:

• $50k bonus (pre-tax, so really $30k)

• $200k salary for the year (vs probably $150k at your next role)

• The "Manager" title on your resume

Total financial benefit: $80k

Here's what you give up:

• One year of learning new skills that compound

• One year of building relationships in your target industry

• One year of happiness (or at least less misery)

• Potentially equity or faster career growth in your next role

• One year of your life in your 20s or 30s (which you don't get back)

The second list doesn't have a number attached. But it's worth way more than $80k.

And that's assuming your "one more year" is actually one year. Not eighteen months. Not three years.

When "One More Year" Might Actually Make Sense

Okay, there are exceptions. Here's when staying one more year is actually the right call:

You Have Specific, Measurable Golden Handcuffs

Not "I want to make manager." That's vague.

But: "I have $150k in unvested stock that vests in seven months. After that, I'm walking."

Or: "I'm nine months from a $200k retention bonus that I'll forfeit if I leave early."

These are real financial commitments with specific dates. If the math makes sense (the amount is significant relative to your savings), it's reasonable to wait.

But set a hard date. And once you hit that date, leave. Don't move the goalposts.

You Literally Started Less Than a Year Ago

If you've been at the firm for six months, you probably haven't given it a fair shot.

Unless you're genuinely miserable (not just tired), give it at least a year. You need enough experience to know if the problem is consulting itself or just the adjustment period.

But if you're 18 months in and asking if you should stay one more year, the answer is no. You've already given it a fair shot.

You Have a Specific Exit Plan and You're Executing

Not "I'll figure out what I want to do this year."

But: "I'm targeting product roles at Series B startups in fintech. I've identified 30 companies. I'm networking with 10 people per month. I'll start actively applying in six months after I build my network."

This is a real plan with a real timeline. Staying to execute a specific plan is different from staying because you're avoiding the decision.

But the plan needs to be concrete. And you need to be actively working on it. Not "thinking about it."

You're Getting Experience That's Directly Relevant to Your Exit

If you know you want to do operations in supply chain, and you just got staffed on a six-month supply chain project, finishing that project makes sense.

You're literally building the experience you need for your next role.

But be honest with yourself. Are you actually building relevant experience? Or are you just doing another strategy project that's tangentially related?

Most consulting projects don't directly transfer. If you're rationalizing the relevance, you're probably wrong.

How to Know If You're Making Excuses

Here's the test:

Imagine it's one year from now. You're having the exact same internal conversation about leaving.

Your reasons for staying "one more year" are slightly different, but the structure is the same. You're almost ready to leave, but there's just one more thing you want to accomplish first.

Does that feel familiar? Or does it feel impossible because you'll definitely have left by then?

If it feels familiar, you're making excuses. You're not going to leave next year either.

The people who successfully leave are the ones who set a date and execute. They're not waiting for perfect timing. They're creating the timing.

The people who stay forever are the ones who are always almost ready. Always one more milestone away from leaving.

Which one are you?

What to Do Instead of "One More Year"

If you've decided you want to leave, here's what to do instead of negotiating with yourself about timing:

Set a Hard Date

Not "I'll leave when I make manager."

But: "My last day will be June 30, 2025. That gives me six months to search, which is enough time."

Put it in your calendar. Tell yourself that's the date. Everything you do from now until then is working toward that date.

If you get an offer before that date, great. You leave early.

If you don't have an offer by that date, you quit anyway and search full-time.

But you have a date. A real one.

Start Searching Now

Don't wait until you're "ready."

You'll never feel ready. You'll never have your resume perfect. You'll never have complete clarity on what you want.

Start searching now. Start having conversations. Start learning about options.

You'll figure out what you want by exploring, not by thinking.

And maybe you'll get an offer sooner than you expected. Then your "one more year" becomes "three more months" and you're free.

Calculate the Real Opportunity Cost

Write down what you're giving up by staying.

Not just the bonus or title you're gaining. The actual cost:

• What skills won't you learn?

• What relationships won't you build?

• What opportunities will you miss?

• How will you feel a year from now if you're still here?

Make it concrete. Make it real. Make it hurt.

Because that's the only way you'll actually leave.

Tell Someone Your Plan

Don't keep this internal.

Tell a friend who left consulting: "I'm leaving by [date]. Hold me accountable."

Or tell your partner: "We should plan for my income to change by [date]."

Or tell yourself by booking a one-way flight somewhere for right after your planned end date. (This is extreme, but it works.)

Make it real. Make it hard to back out.

Because if it's just an internal conversation, you'll keep negotiating with yourself forever.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Here's what I've learned from consultants who successfully left versus consultants who stayed too long:

The ones who left weren't smarter. They weren't better prepared. They didn't have better plans.

They just decided to leave and then did it.

The ones who stayed had all the same capabilities. They just kept waiting for the right time.

The right time never came.

Because there's no right time. There's just the time when you decide to do it.

And every day you spend waiting is a day you're not moving forward.

You know this. You've known this for a while.

You just keep hoping that if you wait a little longer, the decision will feel easier.

It won't.

It'll feel the same a year from now. Except you'll have lost a year.

The Last Thing I'll Say About This

I'm not saying you should quit your job tomorrow without a plan.

I'm saying: if you've been thinking about leaving for more than six months, and you're now negotiating with yourself about staying "one more year," you've already stayed too long.

The people who successfully transition don't wait for perfect conditions. They create conditions that are good enough and then execute.

They're not less scared than you. They're not more certain than you.

They just decided that the cost of staying was higher than the cost of leaving.

And then they left.

You can do the same thing.

Today. Not next year.

Key Takeaways

• "One more year" is never one year, it's usually three years because you'll have the exact same conversation next year with new reasons to stay and moving goalposts

• Five common versions: after my promotion (but titles don't make you more marketable, experience does), after bonus season (ignoring opportunity cost of those months), after this project (but there's always another project), after I figure out what I want (but you can't figure it out while working 70 hours), after I save more money (but no amount feels like enough)

• Real cost of staying: opportunity cost of not learning new skills, psychological erosion from staying when you know you should leave, financial cost of missing equity and growth in next role, relationship cost as peers who left build networks ahead of you, energy cost of burning out before you start your new role

• The real math: staying for $50k bonus + $200k salary gives you $80k (after tax) but you give up a year of learning, relationships, happiness, potential equity, and time in your 20s/30s that's worth way more

• "One more year" might make sense only if: you have specific unvested stock/bonus with hard date under 12 months away, you literally started less than a year ago, you have concrete exit plan with timeline and you're actively executing it, you're getting experience directly relevant to your target exit role

• Test if you're making excuses: imagine it's one year from now and you're having the same conversation about staying one more year - does that feel familiar (you're making excuses) or impossible (you'll definitely have left)?

• What to do instead: set a hard calendar date for your last day and work toward it, start searching now without waiting to feel "ready," calculate the real opportunity cost in writing, tell someone your plan to make it real and create accountability

• The uncomfortable truth: consultants who successfully left weren't smarter or better prepared, they just decided to leave and did it; those who stayed had same capabilities but kept waiting for right time that never came

• If you've been thinking about leaving for more than six months and negotiating about "one more year," you've already stayed too long; the cost of staying is higher than the cost of leaving.