Difficult situation

Question

Hello everyone, hope all is well.

I’m currently in a difficult situation, and I don’t even know how to describe how I feel about it. I’ve been dealing with some challenging circumstances. After graduating from high school, I wasn’t accepted into a strong university, so I ended up enrolling in a distance learning program. I graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (it is accredited by the Ministry of Education).

Before graduating, I completed a 3-month co-op training program as a requirement in a government authority. After graduation, I did another internship at a government authority that lasted 6 months, but it didn’t lead to a job offer. I accepted that and started applying for jobs in general in this difficult job market (from 2023 until now). Unfortunately, I haven’t had much luck.

Most of the offers I received were for call center roles, which I didn’t want for several reasons. For example, they are considered dead-end jobs here in Saudi Arabia, with low income, little job security, and strict shift-based schedules.

After being unemployed for a long time, I decided to accept the situation and took a customer service job with a large delivery app. I stayed there for 2 months and then left. After that, I joined a large tech company in a merchant care role, but now I’m thinking of leaving.

Since I graduated, I’ve always dreamed of becoming a consultant. However, given my qualifications and experience, I often feel like I’m not good enough. Do you think I would have a chance if I applied for consulting roles here in Saudi Arabia, even if i build a 1-2 year plan of achieving the goal?

Answer 1

Hi,

I’ll be very direct, as I think that’s the most helpful.

In your current situation,your chances of breaking into top-tier consulting (MBB) are extremely low. This is mainly due to your profile; firms in Saudi Arabia typically recruit from very selective universities and look for strong, consistent academic and professional trajectories.

That said, this doesn’t mean you have no chance long term; it just means you’re not competitive today. One important point: you need to demonstrate stability and commitment to an employer. Right now, moving between roles after short periods (2–6 months) is hurting your profile. Consulting firms look for people who can commit, grow, and deliver impact over time; frequent job changes send the opposite signal

If consulting is truly your goal,I would suggest:

Staying in your current role (or the next one) for a meaningful period and building solid experience
Targeting roles where you develop relevant skills (operations, problem solving, stakeholder management)
Considering further education(e.g., a strong Master’s or MBA)
Looking at Tier 2 or smaller consulting firms first as a stepping stone

Right now, the priority is not getting into consulting immediately, but building a profile that makes it realistically achievable.

Hope this helps
Franco

Answer 2

Hey,

First of all: congrats for keeping your hopes high during difficult times, it shows a ton of maturity and resilience. Kudos!

The other coaches (Franco and Jenny) gave great answers, so let me add just two side notes:

An underappreciated pre-MBB experience is working in a startup. Especially in countries with lower level of tech expertise and young entrepreneurship (like Saudi, but also Italy - my home country), startup employees, co-founders, etc. are seen as much needed disruptive innovators. I am saying this because getting a startup role might sound less prestigious, but it's definitely easier than, say, working for Saudi Aramco or for a large bank :)
Especially on PrepLounge, an underestimated fact about MBB is that so many consultants join their firm in their (early) 30s and have fantastic careers. At least 20 of the 50 Senior Partners I met during my career entered when they were 30+. So, your MBB dreams won't be over for at least the next 10-15 years!

Good luck on your journey!

Tom

Answer 3

Hi there,

Depending on what tier consulting firm you target, your referrals, and your performance in interviews, you may still have a chance but it will not be easy. Tier-1/Tier-2 almost always source from target schools, and if not, then you normally have some sort of unique or amazing professional experience to "catch" their attention. If it's not likely for you to have these "hooks", then you should have a very strong referral and perform consistently amazing in interviews.

Answer 4

Hi there,

Possible? I believe anything is possible. Difficult? Yes.

Always network first! Always do the things you can to improve your chances!

Network with anyone. Do not be picky. Work through the networking (play "tag" across calls etc) and hope that one of those calls leads to a referral. Any level counts!

Optimize your resume (and cover letter, to a lesser degree). Get additional experience (for example, pro bono consulting projects through platforms like Impact Consulting)

Answer 5

Yes, you have a shot. But you need to be realistic and commit to the path fully.

The challenge is that a distance learning degree and short job stints will make it hard to get into top tier firms directly. That is just how those firms screen resumes. But consulting is not off the table. It means building toward it deliberately.

Here is how I would think about your 1 to 2 year plan.

Stop leaving jobs early. Staying only 2 months repeatedly hurts your profile badly. Pick a role and stay at least 12 to 18 months. Use that time to build real skills and results you can talk about in numbers.

In that role, think like a consultant. Solve problems, make recommendations, document your impact. Consulting thinking can be applied anywhere.

Build skills on the side. Case interview prep, Excel, PowerPoint, business writing. Free resources exist for all of this.

Target boutique and local Saudi firms first, not MBB. They have lower barriers and value local market knowledge. Vision 2030 has created real consulting demand across the Kingdom.

Your tech and merchant operations background is actually relevant for digital transformation and operations consulting work.

The gap is real but closeable. The question is whether you are willing to play a 2 year game with full discipline.

Answer 6

I'm sorry to hear about this.

I don't think it's impossible to transition into consulting, only that you'll need to play the long-term game.

Specifically, you should try first of all to enter the industry, regardless of the firm. Even if it's a small firm. The point is to first join the industry and once you're inside and have a clear value proposition you can make further moves between firms.

And in order to join any consulting firm, you ideally should show that you have

1 Consulting-like skills

2 A long-term interest in consulting

You can demonstrate these by getting involved even in pro bono consulting work or joining a consulting club of sorts.

You might find these two resources useful:

• • Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

• • Expert Guide: What Do Management Consultants Do?

Best,
Cristian