Start with the kind of learning you actually want over the next two to three years. A specialist boutique can give you deeper industry exposure and earlier subject-matter credibility, while a generalist firm can give you a wider set of problems and exits.

Neither path is automatically safer. A boutique with strong senior mentorship and real client responsibility can be an excellent platform, while a large generalist firm can still leave you concentrated in one practice depending on staffing.

Compare the actual teams: project mix, training, manager quality, promotion path, client exposure and what recent alumni do next. Those facts are more useful than the labels "boutique" and "generalist."

Choose the offer that best matches the skills and options you want, not the one that sounds broader in theory. See the guide to choosing between consulting offers and the management consulting overview.

I would look hard at what the boutique alumni do after 2-3 years. That tells you a lot.