I read with interest that many MBAs want to work for top level consultancy firms such a PWC or McKinsey and that many MBAs would be happy to gain experience with these large international corporations.
In some respects , working with these companies can bring enormous benefits to an MBA qualification and there is o doubt that they have some very able people working for them.
Consultancy is a very rewarding career and I know from personal experience how incredibly useful and valuable to the organisations such roles can be..
I would , however like to see more involvement with clients and that consultancy is just not a ‘one off’ assignment and not just about grand ideas of strategy, corporate governance or how a board should conduct itself, but looking at the micro level and involving a mentoring and advising role with management, not only using model frameworks such as McKinsey’s time horizons, but also using an MBAs own individual experience at work to add value over and above what their employer has to offer.
Now there is a debate about the MBA qualification and how valuable pre study work experience is and that potential MBA students should have at least held some form of employment so that when they do eventually study they have at least some experience they can relate to when they get information from the classroom. Potential MBA students should therefore think long and hard about the timing of their studies.
The danger here is that they come through the educational system and straight into an MBA qualification and end up working for a consultant, so living in a highly educated and constrained bubble might be good for their Consultant employer, but long term career management might be better off if they had held down a series of business posts before they undertook an MBA.
I think therefore the personal choice of timing and how you view an MBA qualification is crucial. If you want to become an Entrepreneur, you may decide to avoid this ‘consultancy’ route completely and throw yourself in at the deep end post qualification. Or you may decide that the consultancy route is a way of ensuring you get sufficient CPD after qualification which prepares you for the bigger adventure of doing it yourself. Either way can work, it all depends on your career plan. The message here is that, for all the technical expertise that an MBA qualification can give you, at some stage you are going to expose yourself to business issues which may be messier than a classroom case study, so be prepared to get your hands dirty either on your own account or with other business colleagues. At some stage in your career you may decide to put all your qualifications and consultancy experiences to the test, – now that is scary
When are you going to make that leap of faith?
