samformba wrote:
Hello,
I am planning to do MBA to switch my career path to become a management consultant. I appreciate your help in me visualizing how the transformation would happen. I will be grateful for your answers to my questions following a brief background.
I worked as a software engineer for over 8 years, leading small development teams in creating complex business applications (Insurance, Lending, and Telecom). I am planning to do MBA from a school such as Darden. I will be 31 years old soon.
I am wondering what the career path would be for a managemet consultant post MBA. Also, do management consulting firms look for a specific experience prior to going to school for MBA? Are there management consultant companies that would prefer people of my background, if so what are those companies, and what kind of jobs do they offer?
Please feel free to ask for any information that you think is necessary to answer my questions.
Thanks,
Sam P
Career counselling is a bit out of my range of expertise, but I think you can find much information online, in books about the management consulting field, and by communicating with people in management consulting.
As for most
career changers, you need to show the relevance of your past experience to your future career. There are consulting firms that work in the industries where you worked or are involved in consulting on IT projects. There willingness to hire someone without consulting experience will probably depend on the job market at the time you finish b-school. If the market is poor, the firms can require directly relevant experience. If it is a tight labor market, then they will look more for general skills and relevance and will not be able to insist on a directly relevant background.
Good luck!