From Telecommunications Engineering to strategy consulting: which first role should I target?

Hi Samuele,

Answering your four questions.

1. Hard to say precisely without seeing your full CV, but if you have relevant work experience you could target MBB directly as a fresh grad. They do not only recruit from business schools, engineering profiles are well represented too (e.g. PoliMi, PoliTo). Alongside that, Tier 2 firms and boutiques like ADL with a strong TMT focus are a natural fit for your background. And if your goal is consulting in the medium term, I would make the move early so you experience the real job, keeping a corporate or technical role as a plan B.
2. If you do start outside consulting, the closer the role sits to strategy and commercial work, the easier the later move. A corporate strategy, business development or transformation role keeps doors open. Tech strategy or digital transformation is fine too, but be aware these can quickly become quite technical and make the later jump harder. The purely technical engineering roles are the ones I would try to avoid, since they are the hardest to pivot from, exactly as you suspect.
3. I would not treat cases as something to start only once interviews are booked. Practise as soon as you can, in parallel with applications, since the case is the real bottleneck for engineering profiles and the skill that takes time to build.
4. In terms of experiences, if you have no professional experience yet, I would try to add some, an internship or a project with real business exposure. In terms of skills, given your engineering background, I'd focus on commercial fluency (how businesses make money, reading a P&L, quick business maths,...) and  top down communication (storylining, pyramid principle,...).

Hope it helps, and feel free to DM if you want to discuss your starting point more generally or the specifics of the Italian market.

Federico

Ciao Samuele,

I am an engineer, and I spent quite a bit of time as a strategy consultant in Italy, so I think I know the market fairly well. First thing: engineering is one of the most typical backgrounds for consulting, so don't treat it as a disadvantage. In Italy especially, a large share of consultants at every firm come from Politecnico or similar engineering programmes. 

1) Yes, I would prioritise the ADL strategy role over a technology strategy or digital transformation role. If the end goal is strategy, your steps should point that way from the start. The broader risk with the larger firms is to get typecast into a delivery or implementation profile, which is harder to shake later.

2) I would also give MBB a shot now. It's impossible to say what your chances are without seeing a CV (feel free to send it as a DM). Worst case you get a cooling-off period, which is not the end of the world at this stage. In the meantime you build experience elsewhere and, importantly, interview experience.

3) On case prep: from scratch it takes months, so start early. What works well is a couple of sessions with a coach to learn the basics properly, then maximising your practice time with peers. Doing it the other way round, months of solo practice before anyone corrects you, is how people build bad habits that are hard to undo.

4) On signals to build: get comfortable talking about business rather than technology. The most common gap for engineers is commercial fluency. Read up on telecom and energy economics, follow what the Italian operators and utilities are actually doing. If you can, also add one experience with real clients or commercial exposure in the next few months.

Feel free to DM me with your resume if you want a more tailored point of view.

Franco

Hi Samuele,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• First of all, contrary to what other coaches have said, I would strongly advise you to pursue all of the provided routes and see where you even get an offer. Discussing preferences when you have nothing to decide upon doesn't seem meaningful.
• Moreover, with only 1-2 years of work experience, contrary to what other coaches have said, no role would "close the doors" for pivoting into consulting. I would advise you to do a brief verification by researching a few people on LinkedIn - in Italy or anywhere else in the world - and the type of career paths they've taken.
• Lastly, in terms of preparation time required and skills to focus on, I would advise you to work with an experienced coach like me on this. Without knowing your "baseline", it is unfortunately impossible to provide a meaningful answer as to these two questions. As the leading coach on this platform, I'd be glad to help you on your journey into consulting.

You can find more on this topic here: Boutique consulting firms.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files, for your upcoming pre-interview assessments and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi,

There are typically 3 common paths into strategy consulting (MBB)

1. Straight out from school to a generalist role
2. Spend some time in industry and gain actual expertise -> transition to MBB
3. Spend some time in a boutique/specialized consulting firm -> transition to MBB

I talk about the dynamic on entry paths in this article:

Am I Too Old for MBB?

No right or wrong, but if you have a strong profile right now (good grades, track record of achievement etc), I would suggest you try to join as a generalist. While you might be interested in a specific topic area, the experience as a MBB generalist has far more pros than cons imo.

Engineering along with business are very common backgrounds for consulting. I understand what it is to come from a non-traditional background (I studied history), so if you are struggling to see the relevance of your degree, you can check out my article: Breaking into Consulting from a non-traditional background

All the best!

Ciao,
Your engineering background is absolutely not a disadvantage for strategy consulting. In fact, for telecom, infrastructure, energy and technology-related work it can be quite valuable.

If strategy consulting is genuinely your long-term objective, I would try to get as close to strategy as possible from day one. So, all else being equal, I would personally prefer a strategy role at a firm like Arthur D. Little over a more execution-focused digital transformation role at a Big 4.

I also wouldn't automatically assume that you need an intermediate step before applying to MBB or Tier 2. You have a strong technical MSc and you're at the beginning of your career. Apply broadly now: MBB, Tier 2, ADL, strategy boutiques and relevant strategy teams within larger firms. Let the recruiting process tell you where your profile is competitive rather than excluding yourself upfront.

If you don't get the strategy role immediately, then technology strategy is probably the next best option. I'd be a little more careful with roles that are predominantly implementation, PMO or technical engineering if you already know you eventually want to move into strategy. The longer you stay there, the more difficult the positioning of the transition can become.

On case preparation, I wouldn't spend months preparing before applying. Learn the fundamentals now and start doing some cases, but intensify your preparation once you have interviews coming up.

Finally, your biggest advantage is actually the combination you're describing: strong quantitative/technical skills + understanding of telecom/technology + ability to think commercially. I'd work on developing that third element rather than trying to turn yourself into a business graduate.

I've seen many engineers transition successfully into strategy consulting. The key is usually not changing their background, but learning how to translate it into the way consulting firms think about business problems.

Hi Samuele, 

Very important questions that you are raising and great to see that you are planning this so strategically. We have just placed a candidate that has studied Electrical Engineering in an in-house strategy role at a large telecommunications company, so I am familiar with the considerations. My answers below: 

1. I would prioritize the strategy roles now if that is what you want to do in the long term. Moving from Consulting to Corporate is a common move but switching from Corporate to Consulting is much harder. Also, this does not need to be either or at least at this early stage of your consideration. I would advise having a clear application strategy with all relevant companies in place and then see where you get invited. The preparation is actually quite similar as also Strategy roles at Corporates will do some sort of case
2. In-house Strategy roles or roles in Corporate Development keep the door open but the move is still very hard to pull off. You will get asked why you have not applied there directly and will need a very good storyline to deliver your motivation for switching
3. Do not only shoot for very technology-oriented consultancies. MBB is one of the best door openers for moves to corporates and as they are big, they also cover all industries
4. I would advise to plan at least 10-12 weeks prior to the interviews, especially if you are starting from scratch. Make sure that you are preparing with someone who is familiar with non-business background candidates as you will need some special guidance on what business concepts are relevant. Even though you do not have invitations yet, I would still start, as the concept is relevant for any application
5. A thorough case preparation is key as this is their way of selecting candidates. However, you also need to sharpen your personal fit storyline to properly convey your motivation for strategy consulting

Reach out anytime for more detailed information! 

All the best, 
Sebastian

hey Samuele!

hey there :)

With your background, I would definitely prioritize a Strategy Intern or Business Analyst role at a strong strategy boutique such as Arthur D. Little if you can get one. It gives you the strongest foundation for a later move into MBB or broader strategy work. That said, a Technology Strategy role at Deloitte, EY or Accenture can also be a very good entry point, especially given your telecommunications background.

I wouldn’t worry too much about coming from engineering. Your analytical and quantitative background is actually a strong fit. I’d focus on building experience in strategy, market analysis, problem solving and client work rather than going too deep into purely technical engineering consulting if strategy is your long term goal.

For now, I’d prepare for cases alongside applications rather than waiting for an interview. You don’t need hundreds of hours yet, but getting comfortable with structuring, mental math and communicating your thinking will make the transition much easier.

Best, Alessa :)

Always target a Strategy Analyst role at a firm like Arthur D. Little over tech implementation at Big 4 or Accenture.

Boutique strategy roles give you immediate exposure to executive-level problem solving. Technology transformation or engineering consulting risk pigeonholing you into IT execution, which makes a lateral jump into pure strategy much harder later on.

To keep doors open for MBB in 1 to 2 years, strategy boutiques, Strategy&, or Oliver Wyman are your best launchpads.

Right now, split your time 70% on networking and resume positioning, and 30% on light casing. On your resume, frame your telecom engineering projects around business outcomes, quantitative modeling, and commercial impact rather than pure technical specs.