How did you find your "expertise"?

This is a very common (and healthy) place to be at ~2–3 years into consulting. The key thing to internalize upfront: not feeling a strong pull toward a vertical yet is not a red flag. In many cases, it’s actually the rational outcome of how early consulting work is structured.

I’ll address your two questions separately, then tie them together with a practical rule of thumb.

1. How people actually identify their “area of expertise”

Contrary to the neat stories you hear later in people’s bios, most consultants do not discover a specialization because they felt deep passion early on. In practice, expertise usually emerges from one (or a combination) of three paths:

1) Repetition + competence → preference

This is the most common path.

You get staffed repeatedly in a space (often by chance or staffing dynamics). Over time:

• You start seeing patterns faster than others
• Your judgment improves disproportionately
• You become the “go-to” person for certain questions

At some point, confidence and leverage create interest, not the other way around. Many partners will openly admit they didn’t “love” their sector at first - they just became very good at it.

2) Problem-type affinity, not industry affinity

Some people don’t specialize by industry at all, but by problem archetype, for example:

• Growth and go-to-market
• Turnarounds / performance improvement
• Digital / data / operating model work
• M&A / corporate strategy

They then apply that lens across multiple industries. This often fits people who, like you, don’t feel emotionally attached to TMT vs FS vs something else, but do enjoy certain kinds of problems.

If you reflect honestly, you’ll often find clearer signals here than at the industry level.

3) External pull, not internal passion

A third group specializes because:

• The market rewards it (demand, exits, compensation)
• The firm needs it
• The expertise travels well into a desired exit

This is a strategic, not emotional choice - and that’s completely valid. Consulting is a career of optionality; specialization is often a tool to unlock the next set of options, not an expression of identity.

2. How long should you remain a generalist?

Here’s the consultant-grade answer: longer than most people think, but not indefinitely.

Typical pattern (varies by firm, but broadly consistent)

• 0–2 years:
  You are learning how to consult. Specialization is largely meaningless here.
• 2–4 years:
  This is the productive generalist phase.
  You should:
  • See multiple industries and problem types
  • Start noticing where you add outsized value
  • Build a reputation for certain strengths (even if not a sector)
• ~4–6 years (or pre-Manager → Manager transition):
  This is where some form of focus becomes important:
  • Not necessarily a narrow vertical
  • But a recognizable “edge” (industry, problem type, or capability)

At many firms, the implicit question at Manager level becomes:

“Why should I put you in front of a client instead of someone else?”

That question is much easier to answer if there is a clear focus.

How to think about your situation specifically

Given your background:

• 2.5 years
• Tier-2 / boutique exposure
• Multiple industries
• No strong vertical pull

You are not late. You are exactly on time.

What would be risky is:

• Forcing a specialization now just to feel “decided”
• Waiting passively until year 5 without any directional intent

A more useful framing for the next 12–18 months

Instead of asking “What do I want to specialize in?”, ask:

1. Where do I consistently perform better than peers?
   (Ambiguous problems? Client communication? Analytics? Structuring?)
2. Which projects drain me less, even when they’re intense?
   Energy is a better signal than interest at this stage.
3. Which skills would compound my career optionality?
   (Both inside consulting and for exits.)

From that, aim to converge toward:

• 1–2 problem archetypes or
• A loose industry cluster (not a narrow niche yet)

That is usually enough focus until Manager-level decisions start to matter.

Bottom line

• Most consultants do not find their “thing” by passion hunting early on.
• Staying a generalist until ~4–5 years is normal and often optimal.
• Specialization should be a strategic move, not a premature identity choice.
• If by Manager-level you can clearly articulate why you are valuable, the label matters far less.

If you want, we can connect and map:

• Your past projects → strengths → future positioning
• Or reverse-engineer specialization based on your desired exit options

That’s typically where this becomes much clearer, very fast.

That is a fantastic question, and you are feeling the exact pressure that hits most consultants around the 3-year mark. There is a deeply ingrained myth that specialization comes from a sudden burst of passion, but the reality is far more pragmatic—especially in our line of work.

Here’s how most people actually "find" their expertise: It happens by accident and necessity. You get staffed on two consecutive TMT market entry projects, your skills matrix gets coded for TMT, and suddenly you're the most utilized resource for the next pipeline of TMT work. Expertise, in the consulting context, is often the outcome of high utilization and project stacking, not the starting point. When firms evaluate you for promotion to Senior Manager or Principal, they are looking for a repeatable pitch and domain credibility; they need to know which client vertical you are going to sell into next.

Regarding timing, 2.5 years is still very much a generalist stage, and frankly, it is exactly where you should be. You have a great platform with exposure to both TMT and Financial Services, which keeps your options wide open. In the MBB system, you are generally not pressured to specialize until you are 4-5 years in, specifically as you transition into the Engagement Manager/Project Leader role and start building the foundation for the Partner track. You need deep specialization when the firm requires you to be a thought leader who can scope and sell work, not just deliver it.

My advice: Stop chasing "passion" for now. Look at your two strong verticals (TMT/FS) and identify which one has the stronger potential pipeline at the firms you want to target next, or which area your current firm is most desperately staffing. Lean into that market opportunity for the next 18 months. That market focus will build the deep competence necessary, and the "passion" often follows the mastery.

Hope it helps!

1. I think just try a bunch of stuff, whatever feels engaging or you naturally feel like you're better at than other things, that's it.
2. Being a generalist for a few years like you are now is fine, it's not too late to think about specializing once you have a solid foundation of experience."

1. How did you identify your area of expertise? For me, simply getting exposure to a wide range of industries. So, if you have 2.5 years of experience and experience with a couple of industries (TMT, FS), I wouldn't rush to specialize. Maybe CPG will be your thing. Maybe healthcare. I would prioritize trying to get some exposure to other industries.

    

2. How many years are generally considered appropriate to remain a generalist before starting to build deep, specialized knowledge in a specific domain? Specialization becomes very important for promotion to the pre-partner level (depending on the firm - Principal, AP, senior manager, director). So, you do need to start specializing at the manager level. This could be an industry or capability specialization - some firms will value one dimension much more than the other.

Hope this helps!

Andrea,

Don't worry about it. 

I know that consulting often feels like a place where you're always a step behind, but it doesn't have to be this way. 

It sounds like you haven't yet identified what you like. So keep on trying things and stay open. It will come with time. 

Don't try and focus on something just because you feel it's about time you focus on something.

In McKinsey, I came across consultants at EM level (so with tenures of 5-6y) who were still working across industries. Typically, at AP level you need to focus on a specific industry or type of project because you need to build a client platform.
 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

There are 2 ways to identify areas of expertise: your area of interest + demand in the firm. However, if there is no latter, then specializing in your area of interest is tough. At McKinsey, it's common to remain a generalist for 2 years, but after that you're expected to specialize.

Hey there,

for me, it became clear through exposure and genuine curiosity, I noticed I was most interested in healthcare and life sciences, so I started leaning into projects and reading more deeply in that space. I’d say 2–4 years is usually enough to build a solid foundation as a generalist before starting to specialize, but it really depends on when you find the area that excites you enough to dive deeper.

Best, Alessa :)