Engineering Masters should I continue in engineering and then do MBA or switch to consulting now?

I am a masters of engineering student at U of Toronto. I did my undergrad in engineering for the same school and worked in manufacturing and R&D for a startup electric automotive OEM that ultimately failed. I will be finishing my masters mid next year and would appreciate feedback on what my options are.

I have currently caught the consulting bug not because of the pay package or the travel but because I really want to work on big picture business problems rather than engineering solutions where I believe my impact is rather limited. My undergrad GPA was bad but still was able to achieve a thesis based masters admission based on my work experience and very strong extra curriculars. My current masters GPA is 3.7. Would getting into an engineering firm and then pursing MBA be a better option to then switch into consulting? Or will getting in as a analysts at one of the consulting firms and then doing an MBA to switch to a Associate/ consultant role be a better option? Would MBA schools prefer one path over the other?

1 Comments
 

Et assumenda consequatur esse ea architecto voluptatem consequatur iure. Quia eos et perferendis voluptate in laborum. Numquam ut vero voluptatem accusamus ut quisquam. At quia sit maiores omnis. Nostrum quasi corporis modi ut qui in aut.

Voluptates nisi rerum aperiam tempora maxime. Est recusandae et voluptas rerum. Sunt quas exercitationem consequatur vel voluptate aperiam doloremque. Recusandae facere totam id qui. Hic enim dolorem et ut laboriosam in tenetur. Dolor maiores vero qui voluptas.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 1st Year Associate (577) $121
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (391) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (634) $68
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”