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Treadmill or Moving Walkway?

I remember that when I left the world of big firm consulting, my exit came with very little hullabaloo. I think people were disappointed to see me leave. But all in all, I think that the people around me knew that it was going to come sooner or later. The treadmill was on 14 mph and it was time for me to get off or I was going to run the risk of pulling the red cord that stops the treadmill completely.
Now I'm on a different type of treadmill. Actually, I wouldn't even call it a treadmill. I would call it a slow version of the moving walkway in an airport. You can just stand on the walkway and it will get you to where you want to go. Or, if you want to step it up a notch, you can walk on the left and pass a few people.

What I've found is that the one thing that a big firm did was push you to stay on that treadmill and increase the speed and incline because everyone else around you was pushing the up buttons. I didn't think that I would miss that, but I do. 

Now that I'm off the treadmill, I've had the opportunity to scrutinize both ends of the consulting spectrum. On one end you are living the PG-13 rated version of House of Lies. The other end is not even close to that. You have to think that there is something in the middle. We can call it the elliptical machine if we want to stay with the fitness machine theme. It's an environment where you do work that motivates and challenges AND you can feel like you are taking care of yourself personally and those around you. You are around people that push you as much as you push them. Or, on the flip side, maybe people fall into two extremes and there really is no middle ground in consulting. Who knows? 

 Being stuck in the middle can have a negative connotation. But I think in this instance, it may not be so bad... 

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