Career as a consultant - progress and learning

career consulting MBB on the job
New answer on Mar 27, 2021
4 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Mar 26, 2021

Oftentimes I hear people say: Join consulting after your masters because there is no other industry where you are able to learn a lot very quickly and progress. Is this true? And if so, why?

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Gaurav
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replied on Mar 26, 2021
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Hello there!

It's definitely, 100% not true. People who say something like this believe that the progress in consultancy develops faster only because the work is intense.

However, consulting is not the only sphere where you can progress rapidly enough. And if you are choosing your future career path, please take into consideration first of all your interests and values.

For any further questions - reach out!

GB

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Ian
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replied on Mar 26, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

This is a very very narrow/simplistic way of thinking! Not only is this a risky way to think about life, it's absolutely not the way consultants think!

There are many many career paths where you will learn a ton and progress quickly.

Please don't use this as your yardstick! Rather, talk to people in various roles/jobs to see what the day-to-day looks like. Think about what you enjoy doing. Let me say that again. Think about what YOU enjoy doing.

The rest is secondary.

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Adi
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updated an answer on Mar 26, 2021
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

Hey,

Not sure where are you getting this - "Join consulting after your masters because there is no other industry where you are able to learn a lot very quickly and progress".

This is just wrong!

People join consulting straight out of university or after masters/MBA or at various stages of their career from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences. Its not a singular track anymore. I joined Strategy consulting (then changed to Operations Consulting after a few years) after MBA and 5 years working as a Telecom Engineer.

Consulting is also not the only profession where you learn and grow quickly- Tech firms, PE, Banking, Creative Design etc are all equally challenging and growth professions. But yes, you do learn a lot and quickly in Consulting- no doubt! Problem solving, structured thinking, relationship building & storytelling/communications will become your go to skills as without these you just cant survive in consulting.

The bottomline is this- if you are in a career/role/company which is a good fit with your career aspirations, values & risk apetitie, you will enjoy yourself, perform better and grow quickly. If that happens to be consulting, fantastic! You may not end up in that right role/company straightway but certainly after trying, taking some risks and making the right moves, you will eventually end up there.

(edited)

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Clara
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replied on Mar 27, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Instead of looking at it in absolute terms, I would do the following rephrasing: consulting is for sure an industry where you are able to learn a lot very quickly and progress.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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Gaurav gave the best answer

Gaurav

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Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies
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