Hi there,

This is a tricky situation, and you have all my sympathy. I will be blunt to help you so let's break this down:

In my current situation, is an MBA indispensable for a career in consulting? Not sure if an MBA right now will do the trick because your profile to date may not satisfy the criteria MBB are looking for, even if you had an advanced business degree. And worse yet, you may not even get into a top-school for your MBA. The key is to get work experience that will really impress recruiters and it's not what you're currently doing, unfortunately.

I want to do an MBA but not immediately as I cannot leave my job right now, so any suggestions if I can do any certifications which might help a year down the line while applying for open roles? No. Since an MBA is unlikely to get you to where you want to be, no certificate will. What I would suggest, however, is to consider taking the GMAT. You will need it sooner or later for the MBA and it will allow you to test some key skills MBB are looking for.

Sorry if that's not the answer you were hoping for. I sincerely hope you get to where you want to be further down the line!

Moritz

I don't think a certification will be enough to get you to a stage where you can apply for MBB. A referral is essential for you, as well as a great CV with achievements and experiences that hit what MBB are looking for.

However, in my opinion, it will be quite a challenging career move. A top tier MBA may increase your chances but (1) it is very expensive, (2) you need to get in and (3) you will still be at a disadvantage to others with a more “traditional” background.

If you like consulting, maybe you could look at specialised boutiques where you may have a higher chance?

To be honest an MBA is needed and probably not even enough to move to MBB.
My suggestion is to go for an MBA asap and then work 1-2 years in a large corp and then move to MBB.
Also the choice of an MBA is important. It should be from a top 15-20 BS, otherwise,  fear it would not be enough.
 

The move from ea to consulting especially in India is close to impossible without an MBA from a top school. Don't mean to be a negative person but the reality is that you are competing with IIT and IIM grads and the culture is not very accepting of diverse backgrounds. If it is feasible to do an MBA at a top school I'd highly recommend it  

Hi there,

I agree with the others here.

An MBA is likely a necessary, but not sufficient condition to transition to MBB. It is not impossible, but it's not easy at all. I believe I did hear of an EA who transitioned into consulting, if that encourages you any further!

By the way…you're an EA for MBB…why don't you actually talk to all of the people you know at this MBB to get their view? They know you, your background, etc. far more than we do!

Hello!

I did my MBA in MIT Sloan recently, so happy to chat about this topic with you or anyone who reads this and wants to reach out. 

My take is that an MBA is a huge time and money undertaking. Don't do it for a job that you may or may not get. It requires a much deeper business case 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hey Deepanshu,

Thank you for your question. I have reached out to you directly via chat.

Best,

Rushabh