What is a day in the life really like? There are many places that offer a perspective and, as you would expect, they run the gamut in terms of detail and realism. Nonetheless, here are 12 that certainly offer the most detailed depictions, from both consulting firms and independent websites. But the bigger question still remains. Which is the most realistic? You decide.

Wondering what it’s like to work in a management consulting firm? There are lots of places to get a perspective – from firm to independent websites. While the best way to find out is to shadow a consultant or intern for a firm you are considering, here is a listing of resources across the web to give you some insight.

Did your mom ever say that to you? It’s good advice to heed as a consultant. We sit on planes, we sit in meetings, and we sit at our desks in front of our laptops. Sitting, or rather slouching, is often how we spend much of our day. Read how my good friend and fellow consultant Ginger learned the hard way that bad “postural habits” can lead you down an uncomfortable path.

If you’re a consultant it’s one of the dirty little secrets that no one wants to talk about…but you’ve no doubt experienced it at one point or another! As of late, I’ve been surrounded by people expressing the notion that deep down, they have this “feeling” that really they don’t know what they are doing…and one of these days they’ll be “found out.” For new consultants in particular, when you’re constantly faced with new and challenging tasks, you probably feel this way more often than you’d ever admit. So what do you do about it? Here are some tips.

Because consulting commonly requires long hours and work-intensive projects, many a consultants are sitting for long periods of time. Rarely are they up out of their chairs unless for a meeting or bathroom break. If I sit for long periods of time, not only do I become tired, I loose my train of thought in a duststorm of monotony. Variety stimulates me – variety of work, variety of scenery, variety of speed. While work/life balance may difficult to attain as a consultant, I think is an important part of the balance is Staying active = Staying alert.

Recently, I purchased a new laptop. While in the process of consolidating all my files into one place, my trusty “back-up” external hard drive ceased to work. Can you believe it?! As a consultant, my data was the single most important thing I relied on – it meant a jump-start on a presentation for a tight deadline, an idea box when I was stumped, and a virtual history of the contributions I made through my work. So what do you do when your back-up fails?