Big 4 S&A Consulting vs Fintech PM
I’m short on time trying to decide between offers so I’ll sacrifice anonymity a little. I’m debating right now between Deloitte S&A consulting and product management at a major sort-of Fintech company (think MasterCard, Visa).
I have a really strong interest in technology but also really like consulting. My junior year, I was recruiting for a summer internship in this same Deloitte S&A position but was turned down, so I worked my ass off casing this summer and was able to secure a full-time position. Deloitte is a really good brand and offers a more well rounded experience right out of school than PM. Plus, it will train me on communication and deck-building piece and give me a broader exposure of the corporate world as well as likely set me up for business school.
However, I also interned at the Fintech company this summer as a PM and loved it, and I was able to secure a return offer. It seems like Visa and Mastercard are both pretty strong technology companies as they are ranked #4 and #5 in the Technology Sector ETF XLK respectively, but many people have told me that their engineering is behind their Silicon Valley counterparts so that makes me skeptical. I have also heard from others that getting into product is hard to do not right out of school, and my end goal is to eventually move to a FAANG company preferably in product.
So that brings me to my paramount question of which offer should I choose?
- PM Role at Visa/MasterCard with strong possibility of working in their startup accelerator division
- Deloitte S&A Consulting with strong possibility of working in their M&A division
Appreciate the help!
Bump
..
Deloitte S&A Consulting
Both are really great offers, and you can't go wrong. I'd suggest Deloitte S&A Consulting because the worst case scenario of where you get placed will always be better at Deloitte S&A. Say you join V/MA, these are massive orgs with tons of politics and fiefdoms. I can see a situation where you don't get placed in the group you want and are pushed into some rando group you have no interest. Or, perhaps you start w/ the cool fintech stuff and the firm has an internal reorg and you're moved out. What is your role there? As a junior guy, you may not be in the best seat and have much more limited exposure compared to your other option. V/MA are definitely great blue chip companies, but your industry network may be internally focused.
Deloitte seems an easier cleaner path. Worse comes to worse, you'll still be in a great role getting exposure to some of the leading companies in corp america. You'll also learn the ability to pitch/present and build a network across all the clients you work with.
Thank you so much! That was incredibly helpful
In regard to your question about what my role will be at V/MA, they have me most likely working with their Strategic FinTech VC/Accelerator group, and the head of that group is pushing for me to join.
I absolutely agree though, risk adjusted Deloitte S&A provides the cleanest path that no matter what will gives me a good springboard for my future career
Happy to help!
My concern with V/MA is you're joining as a super junior guy, so what does "working with their Strategic FinTech VC/Accelerator group" exactly mean? Are you a glorified admin? Will you be doing more? It's a bit hard to say what your day to day at V/MA will be compared to Deloitte (which has a clear structure and your role has a long history of expected deliverables). I would worry that your day to day at V/MA would be not the most exciting work, even if you do get placed in the cool fintech group.
You are starting your career off very nicely. I'm sure you will do well in either role.
Best of luck!
Depends on what fintech, but if it's something like Square, capital one, or even a startup, take it and don't look back. Long term earnings of a solid PM > Consulting. Reality is you won't make it / want to make it to a partner. PM is coveted in tech.
If it were Visa/Mastercard for PM, would that change your answer? I looked up the salaries on Glassdoor and Visa/Mastercard PMs make a little more than Capital One PMs and a little less than Square PMs. If I took the PM route, my end goal would be to move from this fintech APM to the fintech arm of a FAANG as a full PM, which would be my dream gig.
I'd still probably say yes. Unless you're talking B4 S&/ EY-P, then I'd take PM. Many people in big 4 try to land jobs as PMs. Even if you don't love fintech, after a few years you'll be able to jump to a growth stage startup / bigger tech co. Think long term instead of short. Additionally, you could accept then always recruit for other roles too assuming your in undergrad
What is the obsession with capital one? lol
Capital One is a solid tech bank
What team under Deloitte S&A did you get an offer from? If it's strategy & business design, you will be well positioned to get a corp strat gig a few years down the line. If it's M&A consulting, you would do a lot of commercial due diligence work. The key thing to remember is neither group will position you well for a product role in FAANG. There is certainly tech-oriented roles within Deloitte and those roles can help you exit to product management in tech, but S&A is not one of them.
If you are determined to do product management, sign the fintech offer.
It's M&A consulting. I guess my concern is about competition and compensation, would a corporate strategy role at a FAANG company be more competitive/have higher compensation, or would a PM role at a FAANG be more competitive/have higher compensation?
M&A consulting doesn't set you up for corp strat cuz the majority of the work you would be doing is commercial due diligence. You would likely need to transfer internally to the strategy team before exiting to corp strat. Even the strat team at Deloitte (previously Monitor Deloitte) doesn't place well into FAANG corp strat. You prob need to lateral to MBB first. I don't have data on compensation but corp strat is way more competitive than PM and harder to get into.
I'd definitely take the PM role. You loved the job (which is rare) and are interested in the subject matter / field. You also want to pursue a career in this direction. Why take a consulting job now, then a few years down the line re-apply / try to get back into a fintech role?
Potential upside is more important than trying to minimize downside risk. You can always go back to consulting later in life.
Are PM roles usually things people don’t like? I was under the impression it was very sought after given how competitive the FB APM and G APM roles are out of undergrad, plus idk any other lucrative route into tech other than PM or SE.
Hi I've got a first round with Mastercard Core Product Management next week and was wondering if you were in the same dept?
Bump
Bump
Bump
Excepturi eum ut enim ut non. Voluptatem autem quas doloremque qui beatae. Eos est placeat quia accusamus. Dolorum modi accusantium accusantium deleniti sint sit sequi.
Voluptas quia voluptatem est sint voluptatem explicabo eos. Tempora ut consequuntur et repellendus ratione ut qui. Libero voluptatum incidunt omnis explicabo et deserunt inventore asperiores. Quia nobis est maxime assumenda architecto rerum. A accusamus repellendus aut hic maiores. Dolorem et nobis sequi qui unde facere. Vel ratione aspernatur voluptatem odio provident quo.
Dolor dolorem sit provident dolor qui excepturi. Nisi modi neque voluptas quod. Eveniet ut unde repudiandae et sequi. Aspernatur et error vitae debitis voluptatum unde quidem.
Possimus eum ad nostrum delectus quo accusantium. Veritatis aut ut nisi veniam. Exercitationem quis quis temporibus quidem deleniti minus excepturi. Aut aut omnis ea.
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...
Atque voluptatem porro magni libero et necessitatibus. Eveniet quidem officia ipsum officiis dolores quia repudiandae.
Aspernatur voluptatem iure itaque quis sed repudiandae modi. Et ut exercitationem et sequi. Voluptatem voluptatum rerum aliquam et debitis numquam.
Laboriosam voluptatem nihil corrupti eius deserunt tempora. Quasi suscipit aspernatur unde dolorum. Officia hic possimus debitis id fuga et corporis mollitia.