[prokes]

One thing to consider about consulting companies is they charge your time to the client by the hour, hence they want you working as many billable hours as possible. This is measured through utilization and in my experience I had to account for every 15 minute block of my day. This became a burden and eventually quite stress inducing ("Why are you only at 70% utilization?"). On the other hand, full time work is more relaxed. It is goal oriented but not down to the minute.

On the plus side, you will generally be exposed to more and different types of work in consulting, so you may learn and grow faster. You can also expand your network through clients you meet who can help you down the road.