Hi there, 

One alternative to consider, and one that I often hear candidates pursue is parallel, is investment banking. There are lots that you can learn in investment banking in the first couple of years, there's a lot of prestige associated with the top brands and some of the skills you develop are similar to the ones you would have grown in consulting. 

The disadvantage for you is that I expect the deadlines for the big investment banking firms to have passed at the same time as Tier 1 consulting deadlines.

Best,

Cristian

If you want to join in an in house consulting team you will be much better off doing so after 2-3 years at a consulting firm. They will value that experience and managing client deadlines etc. Joining in house before that is not the best as they typically do not have the time or resources to invest in making you a good consultant.

Alternatives are joining prestigious companies working in their core money making functions (Investment Baking at Goldman, Coding at Google, Creative Director at an ad agency) etc.

As Udayan says, if you want to do in house consulting then you're well set to do boutique consulting first for a couple of years as it will give you the skills to go straight into a role there. 

Other skill-building professions that people often consider are banking (IB in particular), or one of the large grad schemes in a consumer company. 

Good luck! 

Hi there,

It's quite a logical/natural transition to move from consulting to in-house. Less so the other way.

Alas, if you've missed the boat on applications you've missed the boat. What you need to do is speak to your school's career advisor/counselor. You need to go into your school's career portal and see what jobs are available. You need to reach out to people on LinkedIn and learn about their day-to-day. If you're really struggling, pay for a career coach.

Luckily you already have an offer to fall back on!

Remember that no-one has it all fully figured out. Embrace the unknown, but also learn how to talk to the right people and ask the right questions to figure out what you want. Good luck :)

Have a look at this article for guidance on your question-https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-do-i-know-which-career-is-right-for-me

Hi there,

Few things to think about:

1- Brand name and CV - as you grow in your career, it's important to have strong brand names on the CV but these can wait a bit (e.g., if you want to try out the boutique oppty as you apply)

2- Culture - as you choose the company you'll work for, keep in mind that some have work cultures that are way better than others

3- Learnings and experience - although some companies might pay more, others reward you with core knowledge and skills that money can't buy (problem solving, communication with impact, structure etc.,). In an early stage, I would highly prioritize this over anything else. 

Mario

It depends on where your priorities are and what you actually want to be doing. Do you want to go into consulting because you are interested in the kind of work that this would entail or do you just want something on your resume that might give you a good exit opportunity a few years down the line? 

Based on your question, it is not really clear what drives your motivation since you are mixing a few things (consulting across all tiers, inhouse consulting, industry, prestigious brand name,…).

In case you are indeed interested in a career in consulting and that's where you would like to be for the next years, then you should look to be starting in consulting as well. A consulting role in a boutique firm is still more relevant for you skill set and development than some business role in a global (well known) corporation.