Is consulting still worth it over big tech in 2024?
I'm trying to decide between an MBB consulting internship offer in NYC vs returning to Amazon for an SDE internship in Seattle. I'm interested in a career in data science/tech, but I'm also interested in exploring PM. My biggest consideration is which one would be a more stable pick in terms of return offers and employment, as I'm an international student wanting to stay in the US.
Some considerations:
- Amazon is better pay, better WLB (WLB is huge)
- Stability of MBB job (is this still true given recent layoffs?)
- Worse location (really disliked Seattle last summer, have lots of friends in NYC).
- Unsure what team my return offer is to (all I know is it is not the team I was on last summer)
- Not a big fan of how non-concrete consulting is
- MBB internship keeps more doors open - I think I may also have a better aptitude for it than very technical work, but not a big fan of it.
- Working at Amazon 2x may look worse than working at Amazon + MBB on a resume (or maybe not?).
I would likely be re-recruiting for full time roles in tech following the internship anyway.
Amazon SDE is not better WLB. Who lied to you?
Amazon stock options also make you wait all 4 years - till then, consulting will likely catch up.
Consulting layoffs are largely over at junior levels.
But since you want to do PM, I'd recommend staying at Amazon. Amazon SDE is 50x times more relevant and respected than MBB for PM roles and by other people at tech firms.
You sound like you wanna do tech long term whether it’s engineering or PM, so go Amazon. Only do MBB if you’re indifferent and you think it’s more interesting.
SDE is a super good career path for early career earnings, but unsure about long term prospects. MBB long term has great outcomes if you can survive in it (consistent, quick promotions, build macro/exec skillset, exposure to leaders, flexibility in career exits and building general business knowledge)
Any career I think you’ll have to work long hours if you want to keep getting promoted and have big impact. No one gets uber successful working 40 hours
If you want to do tech long term, definitely do the amazon gig over MBB.
"Job stability" is often a meaningless phrase because you truly never know when/how layoffs will hit. But for both fields, it seems like the worst is behind us.
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