Management Consulting

[Gengar]

Hello fellas, I've been looking into consultation for a long time, and I was wondering if anyone had any insights as to what kind of jobs could lead me up to it.

 

[sammy]

Good thread idea haha. This is what I want to go into, as well.

What did you study in undergrad/grad school?

Good luck in your career journey.

 

[FDG]

Management consulting is the legal equivalent of fraud.

 

[Dali]

^

lolwut?

 

[Gengar]

Good thread idea haha. This is what I want to go into, as well.

What did you study in undergrad/grad school?

Good luck in your career journey.

I'm currently studying commerce, planning to do an accounting major.

 

[INTPness]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe most management consultants are usually people who have been very successful in the field of management. The couple of management professors that I had in college taught and also consulted, but they weren't strictly academics. They had led companies and even started companies.

No way I'd hire an academic to consult me on my business. I might read his book and see if I can apply what he has said, but if I'm going to pay someone for advice, it's going to be someone who has been in the trenches.

 

[sammy]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe most management consultants are usually people who have been very successful in the field of management. The couple of management professors that I had in college taught and also consulted, but they weren't strictly academics. They had led companies and even started companies.

No way I'd hire an academic to consult me on my business. I might read his book and see if I can apply what he has said, but if I'm going to pay someone for advice, it's going to be someone who has been in the trenches.

I think that's what the OP is seeking. Advice from any consultants on this site regarding which jobs will lead him/her to becoming an expert based on their work experience, not necessarily solely an academic (just like some of your professors).

 

[sLiPpY]

Becoming a Management Consultant is similar to becoming a Business Analyst.
There isn't a direct career or education path.

Getting to one of those positions is more so a matter of who you know, and the opportunities you're able to leverage:

1. Master the art of sucking butt.
2. Master the art of bull shit.
3. Master the art of lying without guilt.
4. Master the art of backstabbing with a smile on your face.

As with becoming a CEO, or a Corporate Director...having a personality defect bordering on sociopathic behavior is extremely helpful.

 

[FDG]

Becoming a Management Consultant is similar to becoming a Business Analyst.
There isn't a direct career or education path.

Getting to one of those positions is more so a matter of who you know, and the opportunities you're able to leverage:

1. Master the art of sucking butt.
2. Master the art of bull shit.
3. Master the art of lying without guilt.
4. Master the art of backstabbing with a smile on your face.

As with becoming a CEO, or a Corporate Director...having a personality defect bordering on sociopathic behavior is extremely helpful.

Yes, perfect analysis.

 

[sculpting]

We hire a fair number of consultants for things. While more expensive by the hour it is far cheaper than a ft head count.

They aren't famous-just have useful knowledge about an area. It seems easy to forget about options or stay abreast of improvements in an industry once you are trapped in the 9 to 5. A consultant can come in, give a nuetral opinion, give external perceptions of the current situation and provide extra knowledge.

Often the have a niche. My dad is an intj who consulta for a very specifc industry, in training of opertators and systems for that industry.

For acct-perhaps uou become an extert at a niche of tax accounting then consult to small companies. Or anything oracle related....

When you go to work a good corp will allow you to swap jobs every two years-use that to pick up the big picture.

Once in consulting find a firm to work for at first-then later go independent-you build your netwrok that way.

Good luck!

 

[CzeCze]

I would say a business degree plus specialized knowledge in some field helps, get hired at a consulting firm, hopefully one of the big 5, get a few years and contacts under your belt, then fly free. Unless you want to consult for small business I can't imagine anyone hiring you out of the gate from school.

Another track - I knew a consultant who had an MA in 'psychology of excellence' which is basically a background for corporate coaching which is what she did. She was a corporate coach and seemed pretty successful.

 

[Venom]

you guys are all showing your age he is most likely talking about the type of consulting you do with ZERO experience. The kind of companies that hire green undergrads:

1. Bain
2. Mckinnsey
3. BCG
----
4. Deloitte
5. B... (cant remember the name!)

anyways, its known as getting hired by MBB (the top 3). Its a similar world to the east coast elite ibanking world. Getting hired is all about presitige. you have to have gone to a prestigious school, had a prestigious major, and had a prestigious internship. I.e you have to have thought you are damn important and that stupid shit like that sophmore year bank internship were important.

You cant be a cynical realist like me, who was always aware of how pointless your time is at internships, business undergrad etc. You need to take yourself way too seriously for even my Fe/Ni liking.

EDIT: I would think INFP is one of the worst types for this field...I would think XSXJ, XNTJs and XSXP enneagram 3s are basically what they are looking for. you to really enjoy kissing ass and playing the old boys game. The culture is like ibanking, but you fly more

 

[CzeCze]

I thought you had to be an analyst/grunt first before you could be full fledged consultant. Or am I showing my age again Ibankers have to go through the grind of being analysts first to earn their stripes.

 

[Venom]

I thought you had to be an analyst/grunt first before you could be full fledged consultant. Or am I showing my age again Ibankers have to go through the grind of being analysts first to earn their stripes.

Ya. You're right. The entire thing IS GRUNT WORK. If you're hired by MBB out of undergrad, you arent an associate or anything, but to everyone else you are in consulting and you will be sent to a big company as part of a team, to gather information and then produce a big power point presentation.

I find it hilarious that the most prestigious jobs out of undergrad basically train you to do two things:

--make power points
--make pitch books

any wonder why the elite increasingly want to produce nothing and yet live insulted from the masses? (oh god! i sound so liberal!!! ahhhh!!!)

 

[thisGuy]

when you say management consulting, you mean like company structure and stuff right? cuz the theory behind that stuff is soo interesting!

talent management can be a bit of a doozy

what people said about starting with grunt work is true depending on the industry. if you have a professional basis undergrad (engineering) + mba...you would probably have a little more responsibility. although with 0 real world experience, you would still start on the training wheels

all depends on where you are coming from and where you wanna go

 

[INTPness]

you guys are all showing your age he is most likely talking about the type of consulting you do with ZERO experience. The kind of companies that hire green undergrads:

1. Bain
2. Mckinnsey
3. BCG
----
4. Deloitte
5. B... (cant remember the name!)

anyways, its known as getting hired by MBB (the top 3). Its a similar world to the east coast elite ibanking world. Getting hired is all about presitige. you have to have gone to a prestigious school, had a prestigious major, and had a prestigious internship. I.e you have to have thought you are damn important and that stupid shit like that sophmore year bank internship were important.

You cant be a cynical realist like me, who was always aware of how pointless your time is at internships, business undergrad etc. You need to take yourself way too seriously for even my Fe/Ni liking.

EDIT: I would think INFP is one of the worst types for this field...I would think XSXJ, XNTJs and XSXP enneagram 3s are basically what they are looking for. you to really enjoy kissing ass and playing the old boys game. The culture is like ibanking, but you fly more

Sounds like a real hoot!

 

[FDG]

I find it hilarious that the most prestigious jobs

Are you sure that they're considered prestigious? Among most people I know, they're considered "well-paying" and "good experience for the future", but everyone knows you will do stupid powerpoint presentations and learn basically nothing, lest being able to stand very long work-hours.

 

[Venom]

Are you sure that they're considered prestigious? Among most people I know, they're considered "well-paying" and "good experience for the future", but everyone knows you will do stupid powerpoint presentations and learn basically nothing, lest being able to stand very long work-hours.

I mean prestigious in the "east coast elite" sense where if one of their kids "doesn't get one of those 'acceptable jobs' direct out of undergrad", their kid is a total failure. I think its usually the result of insanely linear thinking that would lead you to believe that if you aren't ahead to start, you will always be behind.

So ya, its mainly just prestigious to over pushy parents and college undergrads way too concerned with their first job. If we were talking about truly prestigious jobs, Id probably list:

--Doctor, Lawyer, etc (you know, the Jewish mother careers )

 

[lasdf23]

I'm one of those people going to start my internship this summer at one of those places Babylon Candle mentioned in his posts. Honestly I have no idea what to expect, but at the business school I attend currently, consulting internship is considered hard to come by (just because the top companies only take 3-5 kids from our grade at any given year).

I locked myself into becoming a business major before I knew what I was getting into. I arrived at consulting as my field of choice after process of elimination (not meticulous enough to do Accounting, marketing is too boring, HATE the obnoxious kids working in ibanking careers, so counsulting was the only available path left). Babylon Candle's right, it is ironic that top undergrad business programs prepare graduates to do grunt work for $100,000+ (ibanking) and $80,000+ (consulting). At least with consulting i'm hoping that there would be a problem-solving element to it... but I will find out this summer whether I'm just a low-level bitch in a good name firm or can I really see myself excelling there. If not, I'd have to rely on grad school (not MBA!)

Anyway, feel free to PM me if you want to know more about my experience with consulting.