Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, without having more context about you and your situation, it is very hard to provide meaningful advice.
• In general, though, you may become an SME (subject matter expert) as soon as you have in-depth knowledge about a specific topic and can apply this for proposal or project work. Depending on the specific strategy consulting company you work for, there might also be a formal designation as SME.

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

Time.

You need to spend time in a specific field/area. You need to work and learn in this area and get to the point where you are then…an expert.

This is not something that is counted in months but rather in years.

Please give some context to the question.

You become an SME by… being an expert in a given field. That means working for several years on that field on relevant assignments (that are on the forefront of the existing knowledge in the field).

Hi there,

it is a combination of practical experience (project work) and functional/industry specific training that makes you an expert in a consultancy. At some point you are able to chose between general and expert career tracks. Details depend on the specific firm you join.

Andreas 

If you want to join a consulting firm as an SME, you'll need a deep background in the area of expertise (>at least 10 years in industry). Once you have this I recommend trying to meet people from the firms that you're interested in and trying to network your way into a role. 

Hi there,

Becoming an SME is not a means to an end. Instead, people take a certain career path based on their passion for the subject, often including PhDs, spend time in academia and/or industry where they're working on one broader subject only for years, and typically see themselves in that field permanently. They don't do that thinking that they'll end up at MBB one day.

In my case, I hold various degrees in Geology & Geophysics and spent 6+ years working in upstream oil and gas projects around the globe. That could have been just enough to set me up for an SME path in MBB, had I not wanted to pursue the generalist path at McKinsey.

My point being, becoming an SME is something that takes years and isn't a viable strategy if you're thinking about it as a potential USP for entering MBB for example (I have to guess a little here where your question is coming from).

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Moritz