"You gain extraordinary acceptance by your patients when you walk through the same mud that they do, " he said.

CNN: Bringing health care to the world's most remote areas

You gain a shivering appreciation for the extraordinary skills Alaskan natives developed to survive their unforgiving winters: Clothing was light-years ahead of what Russians and Americans insisted on wearing when they first came to that part of the world.

FORBES: Going To The Dogs

Moreover, consulting instills in its recruits an extraordinary amount of discipline and technique that they would be hard-pressed to gain at such an intense and focused level elsewhere.

FORBES: Is Consulting Right for You?