Google or BCG?
Hey all,
I've received internship offers from Google and BCG, both in the same location, for the upcoming summer. I just wanted to get your ideas on the pros and cons of each. If any of you have experience working at either of these companies then your insight would be greatly appreciated.
In terms of my career plans, I'd like to ultimately start my own business (not necessarily in tech). What I want out of an internship is career flexibility, a really good learning experience, an intellectual challenge, and a good shot at being offered a full time position.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks!
I'm also an undergrad, so take this with a grain of salt. Both places pass the "name test." For your future ambitions it really sounds like the breath of experience that you would gain at BCG would be better for you, especially given your ambitions of starting a business. Congrats on your offers! Regardless of what you choose, you have two very strong Junior internship opportunities.
AFAIK, most consulting firms only offer internships for juniors moving into their senior year.
All sophomore summer opportunities at the big three target minorities. Only McKinsey has a sophomore internship, Bain and BCG have sophomore workshops that guarantee junior intern offers.
Definitely BCG!!! You can always go from BCG to Google, but hardly the other way around; in addition, if you really want to start your own business as you said, BCG will prepare you much better in terms of scope of business than Google does.
BCG.
Prestige + great exit opps + firm on an upward trend + can go to Google + great b-school prospects
Source: made a very similar decision: Google/Facebook/Amazon/MSFT vs. BCG/McKinsey/Bain
BCG!
MBB is second to none in terms of name recognition and general career development. Plus most interns at BCG receive full time offers, so you should be safe unless you screw up. Good luck!
What's been said already is solid, but also to add: all three of my friends who interned at Google didn't go back for various reasons.
Lack of intellectual challenge was a big one, the biggest being that they felt non-CS/Engin employees were second-class citizens to a certain extent. You hear that complaint a lot regarding business roles at tech positions.
I've heard the same. My buddy's sister and her husband work at Google (CS) and love it. One of my MBA classmates (CS and consulting background) worked at Google during the summer and liked it. He told me not to bother applying because I wouldn't like it.
As others have mentioned, it is way easier to get a job at Google than at BCG.
From what I've heard about my office about 90% of the interns had FT offers post-summer. Everything else you're looking for is obviously going to be top-notch at a MBB firm.
A consulting forum might give you a slightly biased view though.
BCG without a question--Google will hire you after the summer or a couple years down the line no problem. Also much better experience to work on different business cases (strategy, growth, marketing etc) then to start out in sales side out of undergrad.
BCG sounds like the place you want to go based off of your future career aspirations. While Google is obviously a great company, BCG is also and fits your criteria very well. Good Luck!
Are the business positions at Google really that bad? I got the impression that their finance department has lots of ex-bankers and consultants, which seems kind of odd considering that the positions sound like regular FP&A (nothing like corpdev or corpstrat). But from what I read here, it seems that one would be better off starting elsewhere if they aren't an engineer. Hmmm.
Even if business gig at Google is decent, the alternative is BCG. The job in industry has to be pretty darn good to pass up an offer from MBB. Especially given career goals that OP listed.
CocoPopper, what was your decision?
Thanks for all the replies. Went with BCG in the end - it aligned more with my current interests and prospects, whereas Google would probably be more suited to me in a few years.
BCG unless you are a programmer.
I am a bit surprised by the overwhelming vote that BCG received. I work at an MBB and I don't think the perception around here is that people can go to Google strategy if they wanted to. It is wicked hard to get in there.
I value my job and experience and MBB is super competitive, but once you are in you will be competing with tons of other people with your background for any corporate role let alone one as good as Google. I mean they can take their pick among MBBers.
I am not sure mine is the most balanced view, but somehow the discussion here seems a bit off.
I'm not as surprised. As someone who is nearing a natural transition point, and seeing the stats. If you are doing well at an MBB, it is a pretty easy step to go to any of the top corp dev roles, not to mention half your old clients would hire you on the spot.
Have not seen many industry -> MBB moves. So option value wise, think MBB was a good choice.
Hobonumber, I agree that most, if not all, MBBers can transition into a strategy dept. or other good roles in F500s. Still, it is quite a different thing to get into THE firm you want to go to.
It is a truism that people hiring want people that performed well in their previous job. My point is that there are TONS of MBB analysts competing for the top firms, among them Google. Many of them performed well. I think it is misguided to think that you can walk into a firm saying I did well at McKinsey and expect people to hire you for that.
I did talk to a HH friend, who mostly works with MBB consultants (my friend is also an ex-MBBer) told me that many MBB types do actually expect to walk in and get a job. My friend also shared that most of these don’t get a job and that a surprising number of them actually do very poorly in the interviews when there are cases involved. Is it because they are not talented? No, it is because they are arrogant and did not prepare. Even the ones that prepare struggle, because many of the most coveted jobs require you to have worked at a top consulting firm. It then follows that competition is tough. I don't understand why I am even explaining this...
On the Google to MBB path. I don't see why most people that have a good job at Google, did well and went to a good school could not get an interview at MBB. The hard part of getting the job would be to do better in the interview than the many other talented candidates. The same thing is true going the other way around.
Did not address the half of your previous clients would hire you on the spot point, as I can see that discussion becoming unproductive.
Consequatur est qui id veniam adipisci cum. Molestiae quod natus fuga. Sapiente ad at rerum voluptatibus perferendis. Dicta velit ut nihil est ut eveniet et. Repellat perferendis iste qui minus. Sit sunt dolores sed doloremque id.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Vero cumque quisquam quisquam qui non id accusamus qui. Autem maxime aut in aliquid repudiandae at praesentium. Voluptatem quibusdam et nesciunt enim nihil possimus est. Minus quis voluptas velit. Aut omnis aut minus voluptatem optio quae.