Hi there,

Q: A few friends of mine have opted for a delayed start date (Jan.) at BCG after their summer Internship. Would doing so be a stunt in terms of career growth (slower progression)?

Long-term, there won't be any real impact. 

The only possible impact I can think of, in terms of career growth, is if the later start will imply a later start to a possible MBA in the future as well. However, given that there are MBAs starting both in September and January, this should not be necessarily a concern. Plus, even in this case, in the long term it won’t really matter.

Best,

Francesco

Hi,

Would doing so be a stunt in terms of career growth (slower progression)?

No, it will not affect their progression relative to their start dates. It will still take them the same amount of time to get promoted.

Regards,
Nick

Hi,

Zero effect. 

Career growth (in absolute time) is driven by your performance on the case and actual tenure (E.g. excluding Leave of Absence etc).

Hi,

I'm not 100% how it works in BCG. But in McKinsey it does not slow down your career progression. You take 2/ 2,5 years to progress to next level if you start in September or August

Hi there,

Absolutely not. There might be some misalignment between tenure and evaluation dates (meaning than some people will need to wait a few more months before going to their evaluation / promotion committees). Few months is nothing in a 40 years professional career.

Best,

Alberto

No - your career is long - it spans decades. A 6 month delay is not a meaningful issue in the grand scheme

Nope!

The typical career is 40 years.

6 months does not make a difference.

It took a 4 month gap. The goal? Get bored and ready to go before the tough job. It's the best opportunity to take time off, when you have a high paying job locked in and security!

Hi,

Would doing so be a stunt in terms of career growth (slower progression)?

It won't have any impact, professional life is long before retirement :)

Cheers

(edited)