Consulting can seem like a pretty glamourous job: Nice suits. Downtown offices. Fancy client dinners. Criss-crossing the globe.
Are the salaries as sexy, though?
The answer is, well, kind of. You’re not going to make a fortune just a year after you graduate, but you’ll earn a decent salary to start – especially if you work as a Management Consultant or Technology Consultant in one of Canada’s major cities.
Starting salaries for entry level Management Consultants:
When it comes to entry level Management Consulting salaries, Toronto tops the list, starting at more than $61,000 on average. Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal are close behind, with average starting salaries around $58,000. After just four years, you could be earning upwards of $85,000. Management Consultants hit the $100,000 mark after about five to nine years of experience, and top out around $150,000 with 20 years of experience or more.
Keep in mind that these are base salaries – the median bonuses for Management Consultants range from about $2,000 at the entry level, $5,000 after a few years, and over $10,000 with 20 years of experience or more.
Vancouver: $58,000
Calgary: $58,278
Toronto: $61,537
Montreal: $58,793
Edmonton: $55,265
Ottawa: $57,343
Victoria: $49,666
Saskatoon: $47,001
Regina: $48,496
Winnipeg: $47,370
Quebec: $46,046
Starting salaries for entry level Technology Consultants:
Technology Consultants stand to earn a bit more – depending on where they live. Calgary is the most lucrative city for entry level Technology Consultants, with an average starting salary of nearly $65,000. Helping oil and gas companies find innovative new technology solutions clearly has its perks!
Toronto is #2 on the list, with entry level Technology Consultants earning about $58,000 to start.
The bonuses aren’t as big and the salary growth doesn’t happen as fast as in Management Consulting – you probably need about 15 years of experience before you’ll hit the six-figure mark – but Technology Consulting is still one of the most lucrative career paths out there. And, with more and more companies upgrading and improving their technology all the time, new grads entering this profession can only benefit financially.
Vancouver: $50,906
Calgary: $64,758
Toronto: $57,925
Montreal: $51,718
Edmonton: $51,308
Ottawa: $53,118
Victoria: $45,967
Saskatoon: $43,716
Regina: $44,813
Winnipeg: $43,971
Quebec City: $48,896
Source: PayScale.com
Photo credit: Consultant Pin by Matthew Burpee on Flickr