Take Software Architect role or aim for consulting internship.

Hi all,
I'm a rising sophomore at a large state school. I'm finishing up a software development internship at a Fortune 500 financial services company. They have asked me to return in a software architect role. I'm torn, because, while the architect role would be a really big deal, my goal is to go in to strategy consulting. I don't know if I should pass up this offer while there's no guarantee that I'll be able to get a consulting role next summer. There are a few summer programs aimed at sophomores that I think I would be competitive for, but I know that there is a very real chance that I would not get anything. And in case it influences your suggestion, I would have no problem getting another software dev internship at the same company ( or a few others) if I were to pass on the architecture role. I would appreciate any advice on the matter.

7 Comments
 

You can negotiate with them to keep the offer open till later. You're already doing well being a rising sophomore with that opportunity. Next summer if you take the internship again you'll have more leeway to cater your workflow towards a strategy consulting job the next summer.

But definitely try to negotiate leaving it as an open offer and then apply elsewhere.

 

You are offered a software architect role right after internship? is internship the only experience with software or have you worked as a developer prior? but getting a software architect role just after internship sounds a bit sketchy. Architect role requires thorough understanding of software development, business and other management skills. Without development experience, you are going to have difficult time. Unless you are the only IT guy for that company who does coding and being an architect. Look up software architect job functions.

 

Sorry if I wasn't clear. It's a Software Architecture internship. I have about a year of prior experience in professional software development in addition to my current internship. The position would likely involve dealing with high level design for various projects. They offered me this role because they know I'm interested in consulting and it's the closest job they have in their IT department.

 

In my oppinion, you should apply for some consulting roles. Option 1: You recieve an offer in consulting. Option 2: As you state, in case you do not get the consulting offer this time, you always can rely on another software dev internship opportunity.

Just to ensure: Even if you are interested into strategy consulting, I also recommend to apply for some other consulting roles.

 

Ratione qui qui veritatis ut quibusdam architecto aut. Veritatis rerum similique hic. Qui fuga ea est. Qui quam sit iure rerum amet accusantium aut. Temporibus ut perferendis dolor odit deserunt voluptatem dolores dolorem.

Eveniet qui a quo dolorem sed. In quo non nisi laboriosam voluptatibus unde ipsum distinctio. Facere dolorum illum iusto vitae.

 

Earum quasi unde quia et cupiditate quibusdam amet. Temporibus praesentium maiores non consequatur repellendus cumque. Ut velit quidem eius cumque in cupiditate quidem. Recusandae sed minus earum consequatur sed qui voluptas.

Optio exercitationem nihil at delectus quisquam ipsa. Qui ducimus sequi itaque voluptate unde. Dolorem vel nesciunt in accusamus expedita quisquam omnis. Architecto sed voluptatem distinctio magnam dolorem. Et alias aliquam non modi.

Dolor aperiam non veniam nesciunt. Quia harum et culpa voluptatibus quas reiciendis. Sed eius enim aut unde. Iusto culpa optio at.

Repudiandae consequatur optio odio architecto. Blanditiis est quaerat iste architecto non culpa corporis unde. Sed velit nam illo nobis ut. Omnis sit cupiditate omnis sed laudantium mollitia deleniti.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey & Company 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (52) $246
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (115) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (576) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (392) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (635) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”