How can a mid-career professional transition into strategy consulting via part-time projects, shadowing, or internships?

Hey there, 

1) Project-based or part-time strategy roles:
For strategy consulting, this is much less common. Most firms hire into full-time roles, so project-based work is better seen as adjacent experience rather than a direct entry path.

For BizOps / internal strategy, this is more realistic. Some (but not many) companies offer project-based or part-time roles that provide hands-on exposure and translate well into full-time positions.

2) Shadowing or apprenticeship opportunities:
These are rare in consulting outside of formal student programs. What does work very well are informational conversations with consultants to understand day-to-day work, required skills, and fit if that's what you're looking for.

3) Building experience before deep case prep:
For BizOps, gaining experience first makes sense. For consulting, reading cases or doing light case practice early helps you understand expectations without committing to full prep. Either way, these experiences strengthen your profile.

4) Platforms and communities:
Alumni networks, direct LinkedIn outreach, peer case-practice platforms, and MBA/consulting clubs are usually the most practical starting points.

Bottom line:
BizOps offers more flexible entry paths; consulting is more structured and full-time. Your background is relevant for both, and early conversations plus light case exposure will help you decide where to focus.

That is a fantastic, and very common, approach to de-risking a career transition. It's smart to want practical exposure before diving into the intensive world of case prep.

However, we need to be realistic about how the traditional strategy consulting world works. Shadowing, apprenticeships, or structured part-time project roles are virtually non-existent for entry-level or core lateral hires at firms like Bain, BCG, or McKinsey. Consulting is an immediate immersion model; they hire full-time staff who are ready to staff on a multi-million-dollar engagement from day one. They cannot afford to onboard someone for a few hours a week to "see what it's like."

The good news is that your goal—gaining practical experience and building a strategy narrative—is achievable through alternative channels. You need to leverage your current GIS/Data expertise to secure paid advisory work that translates into strategy experience on your resume.

Here are the 3 strategic pivots I recommend:

* The Independent Consulting Route: Do not wait for MBB. Immediately sign up for specialized independent consulting platforms (like Upwork or Toptal) and, more importantly, Expert Networks (like GLG, Guidepoint, or Third Bridge). Your niche expertise in GIS/environmental data is high-value for firms or PE funds doing due diligence on sustainability, logistics, or resource utilization. Even a one-hour paid consultation call is valuable experience that signals strategic advisory capability.
* The MBA Project Pivot: Maximize the strategic output of your current iMBA. Volunteer for student consulting clubs, or, more concretely, find pro-bono consulting projects for non-profits or startups through your university network. Frame these projects (e.g., "Market entry strategy for startup X") to build the strategic bullet points necessary for your consulting resume screening.
Reframe Case Prep: Think of case prep not just as interview preparation, but as the essential training for strategic problem solving. Delaying it hinders your ability to articulate your existing data experience in a strategic framework. The process of structuring a case is* the exposure you seek—it teaches you the language of consulting. You must start incorporating high-level strategy frameworks into your current work discussions immediately.

You have a powerful technical background. Your success now relies on proving you can translate that technical knowledge into commercial impact, which is what strategy consulting actually sells.

All the best!

Hi Kavya,

In general, great that you're showing initiative to jump right into part-time consulting roles. However, I don't think these are common things or must-haves that strategy consulting firms look out for. Nevertheless, they are good opportunities to build experiences to share during your interviews. 

To answer your questions:

1. Career switchers can position themselves by leveraging on past roles and common experiences that relates to the job e.g., managing people, problem solving, communication skills, etc. or the experience you're learning from your iMBA

2. As mentioned, shadowing and apprenticeship style opportunities are not common things that big strategy consulting firms specifically look out for.

3. A lot of candidates start their case prep with no work experience i.e., undergraduates. I would think targeted drills and exercise would actually speed up your case prep compared to job experience when you have to focus on the work itself.

4. Personally, haven't seen any candidates benefited from actively looking for part-time consulting work to prep for case interviews, however if you're keen on the experience, I believe you can leverage your school's network to find something relevant either through career services / consulting clubs if you have them in your school.

Beyond your questions, my advice would be if you're planning to join a strategy consulting firm post iMBA, would suggest you get started with the case prep as soon as possible to get ready and comfortable in time for the interviews - regardless if you're doing part-time projects/ internships or not. 

All the best!

Transitioning into strategy consulting mid-career is possible, but let me tell you what's realistic.

On shadowing and apprenticeships, these aren't really a thing in consulting. Firms don't offer shadowing programs for outsiders. The work is client-confidential, so they can't have people sitting in on projects without a formal role.

On part-time or project-based consulting work, this is rare at traditional firms. MBB and top firms hire full-time. They don't do part-time associates or short-term project hires at entry or mid-levels. That said, some options exist.

Freelance consulting platforms can give you exposure. The work isn't the same as MBB, but it builds relevant experience.

Boutique firms and startups are more flexible. Smaller consulting shops or early-stage companies sometimes hire part-time or project-based strategy help. This could be a way to build your portfolio.

Internal strategy roles might be easier to access. Some companies hire for corporate strategy, BizOps, or analytics roles where your GIS and data background could be an advantage. This could be a stepping stone into consulting later.

On positioning yourself, your decade of data and analysis experience is valuable. Frame it around problem-solving, insight generation, and decision support. Strategy consulting is essentially the same thing applied to business questions.

On building experience before case prep, try working on strategy-style problems in your current role or through side projects. Offer to help with business planning, market analysis, or operational decisions. Document the impact.

Network with consultants. Reach out on LinkedIn. Ask for coffee chats. Learn what the work actually looks like and get advice on your specific transition path.

The iMBA helps. Many MBA programs have consulting clubs, case competitions, and recruiting pipelines. Use those resources.

Once you've built some exposure, then start case prep seriously. But don't wait forever. At some point you just have to apply and see what happens.

Hi Kavya,

Part time or shadowing roles are rare in traditional strategy consulting, but you can still build relevant experience through project based work. Internal strategy projects, advisory work with startups or NGOs, or strategy style initiatives through your iMBA or alumni network are all good ways to gain exposure when framed around decision making and impact.

Formal apprenticeships are uncommon, but boutique firms, independent consultants, and networking driven projects can offer similar learning. You also don’t need to wait entirely on case prep, light early preparation can help you adopt a consulting mindset and position your experience better.

The key is translating your analytical background into business problems and building a clear transition story.

Happy to help you on your journey - feel free to reach out!

Best,
Evelina

work on something strategically even if it's not strategy

e.g., set up the comms structually (e.g. top down comms); work cross functionally, answers-first. 

Sometimes your school may have aspiring consultants in some kind of student clubs - they may do pro bono for nonprofits together or otherwise dip closer into the consulting world. 

Kavya, 

I'd short-circuit your plan. 

You already have a profile that spells: strong analytics, knowledge in environmental data. 

That's part of your value prop and it's what you could already apply with to consulting firms. 

The difficult part is HOW to apply and HOW to position yourself. 

You should have a broad application strategy and a well-written CV that highlights your strengths and the parallels between the roles that you're targeting and the work you've been doing until now. 

You might find this guide useful:

• • Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

About half of the candidates that I work with are transitioning from a different industry, so if you have any questions feel free to drop me a line. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi,

I think its much better to just land a role directly given you are already at an MBA program. 

Use the MBA to get a job that you prefer. Even if you can't land a consulting role straight away, getting into corporate strategy or bizops can help to eventually help you pivot into consulting again.

Your hirers are not hiring you for your specific project experience - but rather the fact that you are an MBA candidate and therefore are likely to be a target profile already.

Given your background, I think you could benefit from my article where I share some tips and principles about leveraging a non-business background when applying to consulting:

Breaking into Consulting from a non-traditional background

All the best!

Hi there, 

I did a similar transition from trading into consulting with an iMBA in the middle :) 

You can do a summer associate role (at least at Mckinsey) where I worked. This is typically done in between the 2 MBA years 

Hope this helps!

hey there :)

great question and very realistic approach. true shadowing or apprenticeship models are rare in strategy consulting, but many mid career switchers successfully bridge the gap through project based work in startups, internal strategy or bizops teams, boutique consultancies or platforms that offer short advisory projects where you solve real business problems. the key is to reframe your GIS and data background into decision making impact, problem structuring and stakeholder communication rather than tools, and to start practicing structured thinking on real problems you see at work before heavy case prep. networking into small teams and pitching yourself for discrete problems works far better than cold applications at this stage. happy to think this through with you more concretely if you want.

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there,

Career switchers often leverage an MBA, which you're already doing.

Shadowing and apprenticeship-style opportunities are not really common in Tier 1 firms, but could be more available in boutique firms.

Relevant experience, as in working in consulting, is not required. However, you need to demonstrate transferrable skills such as leadership, problem solving, and clear communication. You should also demonstrate interest in consulting through consulting clubs and strategy-focused competitions.

You're leveraging this forum, which is a very good start. You can also check out MBA alumni groups.