So instead of a job, the smarter set is taking on the role of a consultant. Of course, you can do this effectively only if you are good as a professional. Says Ashok Shastry, Founder and CEO of a firm that is a leader in aggregating consultants and providing them to large enterprises, “One of the key reasons our consultants enjoy their assignments is that they can take time off without the pressure that falling back on work creates. In an organisation, work is thrust at you continuously. You just cannot work at your own pace.” One such Bangalore-based marketing consultant, Susmita Das Gupta, says she enjoys working at her own pace. “I am free to refuse work from clients — a luxury I do not have within an organisation,” says Gupta. “It helps me spend time with my family without having to constantly think and worry about work.”