I have a Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering from a non-target school (top 40) with a GPA of 3.71. No full time experience (4 years Bachelor's in Engineering + 1.5 years Master of Science) (but good EC and a couple internships in tech industries) I am confused between 2 possible career paths at the moment-
1. Should I join a boutique consulting firm (~900 employees, $50M-$100M revenue) as an Associate and make a switch to MBB/Tier-2 within 2-3 years? (95% of their clients are pharma companies)
2. Should I join a mid-size product company (~220 employees, $10M-$25M revenue) as a Software engineer and make a switch to MBB/Tier-2 within 2-3 years? (I would like to explore strategic/management consulting and not just be a tech consultant if I make a switch)
What are your thoughts on both these scenarios? Is an MBA the only option for a Software engineer (with MS degree + 2-3 years exp) to break into consuling?
(edited)
Thanks for your response, Francesco! Historically, I've seen a few people make a transition to tier 2 companies after a couple years at this boutique, but I'm not sure if it's a guarantee that I'll manage to get an interview call. What if I try switch to MBB/tier 2 within the first 15 months as a Software engineer? I wanted to enter the consulting world through MBB or tier 2.
Hi Keval, I believe it would be quite difficult to switch as Software Engineer after 1.5 years, unless you first do an MBA, which will bring the effective time to more than your current target of 2-3 years. Option 1 thus seems to be a better fit given your goals. Hope this helps, Francesco
Thanks for getting back to me, Francesco. How can I prepare myself for a transition to MBB/Tier-2 in the case where I end up joining the boutique firm where 95% of their clients are in the Pharma domain (they do have some big names as their clients)?
Hi Keval, besides the usual preparation on cases and fit, I would try to network with people in your target companies, so that they can facilitate a referral at the time when you apply. Hope this helps, Francesco