Question by Mr.B_Star: Can anybody give me a advise regarding a career in consulting?
Hi,
I graduated with a degree in IT engineering from an engineering college affiliated to University Of Pune, India in 2009. While still in college I did not have any job offer from any IT companies visiting our campus, all due to low grades and poor academic performance. I managed to get a job off campus where I was hired as an Trainee Software Developer in a start-up IT company. I started working there but my job was more of QA where I would test the mobile games that are being developed and port them from J2ME to Android to some extent.
After studying 4 years of engineering, I realized that I am not interested working much into technology as working on the business side. So i made up mind and resigned from the job after 5 months.As I was more keen on getting broader business experience before pursuing a full time career in any industry & becoming an expert in that field, so I started doing research about Strategy Consulting and dreaming working in MCKinsey/BCG/ Bain. I applied for above three and a few other but all in vain as I never got through, as I realized it is highly impossible to get into these companies with such low grades and no work experience. Also these companies mostly hire IIT graduates.
My academic performance is very average with very little extra curricular.
10th- 66.8%
12th- 55%
Graduation (B.Tech) (average of 4 years)- 52.4%, I flunked once in graduation. During that 1 year gap in engineering I worked for 7 months as an IT Support Engineer in the IT department of an construction company where my work was to troubleshoot hardware/software/LAN/WAN problem, installing & updating software packages/LAN/WAN, and conducting a review of the configuration of computers in the organization.
After 6 months of gap since resignation from the first job after graduation I managed to get a job of an Analyst from one of the Big 4 for their Risk Advisory services. Here my work revolves around AUTOMOBILE/MANUFACTURING companies, where I help my team members in creating Standard Operating Procedures, Internal Audit, conducting business process reviews and formatting word documents & PPT, creating minutes of meetings in Microsoft office 2007.
As I have very less interest in programming and my programming skills are also average, I took up this job which pays me over Rs.15,000/- a month. Its been more than 1 month since I took up this job. Most of the people in my team (15) are Chartered Accountants except for my manager who is an MBA graduate and is a Mechanical Engineering degree undergraduate. Also I came to that people working at this designation as me (Analyst) are mostly 99.99% commerce graduates, just out of their colleges .
My future plan is to pursue an MBA from an international B-school, 2-3 years from now. I am not expecting to get an admit in to Harvard or London Business school but I am aiming for an globally recognized institute. I took up this job because I thought the name of Big 4 on my resume would fill up the gaps due to poor academic performance during engineering. I am planning to work here for 2 years (1 at least) & I am thinking of trying again for Business Analyst position at McKinsey after 1 year. But this feeling of me being an IT engineer working with commerce undergraduates and doing Internal Audit is not letting me focus on my daily work hence my productivity is getting hampered.
I am really CONFUSED whether or not I have taken a right decision. I am wondering what impact this decision will have when I would be applying to top 20 b-schools in UK/US/France ?? Also does working in this area as an Analyst helps you getting a job in strategy consulting firms like McKinsey & Co, BCG etc ??
Is Internal Audit/ Standard Operating Procedures/Business Process Review meant only for Chartered Accountants ??
Can anyone please give me a detail explanation for my above queries, I am worried and feeling insecure at this point of time.
Thanks in advance.
Best answer:
Answer by max
I could, but I charge a sizable consulting fee.
HA! Now how does it feel?
What do you think? Answer below!
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#1 written by Prof June 22nd, 2010 at 23:30
As you see, a poor academic record leads to low level jobs. Take advantage of working for a Big 4 firm and do the best job you possibly can. You are lucky to have this job. Learn as much as you can from your work, because your work experience can go a long way in getting into a good MBA program. Experience with a Big 4 firm is valuable.
Next, you should take the GMAT and see how you score. Possibly take a GMAT preparation course. If your score is low, prepare better to take it again later. You should strive for a score above 550, but preferably above 600. The work experience and good GMAT score can offset your poor GPA.
Don’t worry about a top 20 MBA program. The rankings don’t mean much. A program ranked 95 may be better for you than one ranked 16. It’s important to get into a program where you fit well. Before you decide on an MBA program explore the Internet for information on available programs. There is a lot of information available in free public service sites. Some sites are limited to specific countries, such as Germany, UK, or Australia. Some list a small number of select schools, while others may include more than 2,000 MBA programs listed worldwide. You can find the program that best fits you. You can search for programs by location (US, Europe, Far East, etc.), by concentration (finance, marketing, aviation management, health management, accounting, etc.), by type of program (full-time, distance learning, part-time, executive, and accelerated), and by type of degree (MBA, MS, Ph.D). In some cases you can select your own criteria and preferences to get a list of universities that satisfy your needs.
You can find data on entrance requirements, program costs, program characteristics, joint degrees such as MBA/JD, and much more. Some sites have links to the schools’ web sites, or provide email addresses to contact schools of your choice, and send them pre-applications. You can find lists of top schools ranked by various periodicals or ranked by starting salaries of graduates, GMAT scores, and other criteria. Generally you should stay away from any sites that require you to pay to get information or that promise to find scholarships for you or ensure acceptance into a program. Before you provide any personal information to a site, be sure to read their privacy policy and make sure they are not harvesting email addresses for sale.
#2 written by General D. Ypsilanti June 23rd, 2010 at 00:07
Do an outstanding job where you are. Gain as much experience as possible
and consider keeping the job and attending school at the same time. You become
more valuable to your employer and you show your stability and determination.