Want to start a career in management consulting at MBB .

Question

hi community,

first of all, i would like to give an overview of my profile. currently i'm working in a Govt. firm as a junior assistant with a work exp of 4year+ and i had completed my graduation in year 2018 as a specififcation in BBA from a public university in India. and lately, i have started my planning to study abroad specifically in canada for an MBA programme, i had also started working on my certifications so i could gain some knowledge in strategy and consulting .

So should i go for an elite MBA programme in canada if i'm targeting my career in MBB firms or should i go for a specific programme related to msc. in stragey /consulting ?

how should i give a boost to my career so i could make my dream come true?

Answer 1

Hi there,

An MBA is usually the most useful advanced degree for a few reasons:

It allows to join at Associate (McK), Consultant (BCG, Bain) level
It provides the best network (useful not only for MBB but for anything else after that as well)
It has more value if the MBB application doesn’t work out

This works though if the MBA is from an MBB target school. So if you join a non-target, it will be a lot more difficult to leverage the MBA for a transition.

You can find below the list of US MBB target schools, as an example:

▶ MBB Target Schools in the US

Best,

Francesco

Answer 2

Hi there,

If you have a choice in pursuing an MBA vs. a M.Sc, definitely go for an MBA, as it is much more attractive to consultancies.

When I was doing my masters in SDA Bocconi in Milan, there was an MBA class one floor below us, and I saw how many events and career sessions they held, with major consulting firms either as organisers or invitees, whereas our masters class had none.

MBBs and Big fours like recruiting directly from graduating MBA classes or at least like seeing an MBA on a candidate's resume.

(Now, here in Europe, Masters degree are not completely worthless and are very popular, but I don't believe this is the case in North America, and I am guessing you want to work there since you are applying to programs there).

Good luck!

Answer 3

Hi there,

It may be a bit of a journey but it's not impossible. Here's some thoughts:

Academic: An MBA can indeed pave your way into MBB, assuming it's a top program from a target school. This does come with a hefty price tag but if you have the resources, go for it. What I would stay away from is other Master degrees or lower tier MBAs. They may be cheaper but for good reason.
Business: Aside from your academic credentials, it will be important for you to get some experiences in the private sector to develop business acumen. I have worked with many government employees and the majority lacks entrepreneurial drive, which isn't a surprise but a problem for getting into MBB.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Answer 4

Hi there,

If the ultimate goal is MBB, then an MBA is the more direct path to this (again, other factors matter, but this is just in relation to your ultimate/primary goal).

That said, you need to check how elite the MBA programme is! Confirm whether MBB recruits at that school and how well recognized it is. Normally, if the MBA is outside the top 20 worldwide, it's less beneficial.