Bain Vs. Masters For Policymaking Career

Hi there, 

Nice situation to be in. 

Go for the Masters, I'd suggest. 

If you want to be in policy-making, management consulting is a detour. People in consulting don't have amazing contacts in policymaking and for sure not at the seniority that you're going in for. And I haven't yet heard of situations where they fund MPPs. 

Life's short. Just follow what you actually want to do and don't get sidelined by shiny opportunities that only take you away from your mission. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

Congratulations on the offer! 

So how you get into a policymaking career will vary a lot by country. Some countries really value people who have private sector / consulting expertise in policy roles, others value deep subject matter expertise more strongly. I recommend that you look at some of the senior policy makers in your country to see the paths that they took, and even reach out to some who have similar backgrounds to you to talk about how easy it is to get into policy making from the private sector. 

It is different from NGOs e.g., UN, EU and even some of the development banks. They tend to place a greater emphasis on having a master's degree and will recruit more from networking where having been exposed to their work e.g., through a consulting project, can be really helpful. 

Vis a vis the benefits of an MPA, again this varies by country but can be very helpful for some of the NGOs. 

All that being said, consulting gives you a very strong grounding in some of the fundamentals of what it takes to be a great policy maker and if you really want to get into policy making, you'll find a way in. I started my career in government, went to McKinsey, did an MBA, back to McKinsey and now back to government. 

If you want to make it work, you will. Take the projects you can find which are government focused, build your network and also keep your eyes open - you may find that you have a passion for adding value in a different industry that you haven't thought about yet. 

Good luck!

Hi there,

Congrats on both the Bain offer and the Master's acceptance!

Having read 4 sentences about an entire human being, we really can't advise here.

You do need to come to this conclusion yourself (and please be careful putting your entire career/life in the hands of free advice on a forum!) for impactful life decisions that will fundamentally change where you go, please consider investing in a career coach. 

In one session, after asking you qeustions and undertsnading your needs, wants, goals, background, etc. they can help you figure out what will work best for you.

This is a very subjective, not objective decision and really needs a lot of inputs!

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offer from Bain!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, without having a lot more context about you and your situation, it is very hard to provide meaningful advice. Still, I would highly advise you to reflect on your initial motivation for applying in strategy consulting, given the two industries normally attract very different types of people.
• Regarding the question of whether you can move from strategy consulting to politics, of course, you can. While there might not be a lot of former Bain employees who have made this move, this has no implication on the possibility of doing so.
• Lastly, while I am very certain that Bain provides a lot of flexibility when it comes to any educational leaves, I would, again, highly advise you to reflect on your initial motivation for applying in strategy consulting if you already plan your move away from it into politics.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

It's not unheard of. I know of people who followed that path. I know of several people who did projects related to policymaking, and who were able to support policymaking (in parallel with consulting), although they were doing it on a voluntary basis. Is it the best route? Not sure.

I can tell you I've learned a lot, and the skills I've gained from consulting make me a highly sought after professional by policymakers, as I have a skillset that really makes me stand apart from the pack.

Is this the best way to get there? Really can't tell. Maybe yes, maybe no - you'll have to dig in deeper to understand if it is the right path for YOU.

Hi there,

in addition to what has been said. There is a way to combine the two paths. At some offices educational leaves are supported. You can collect a few years of experience in a consultancy (with focus on public sector work) and then do you master degree during educational leave. You then have the option to return or go to public sector straight.

Cheers,

Andreas