From Music to Management Consulting - Advice?

Hi,

I am trying to break into management consulting (MBB, Big 4 and the like) and looking for advice on a Master's degree.

I hold a BA degree in Music and Music Technology (GPA 3.96 though) from a non-target university. I changed direction before graduating and secured an internship at Rolls-Royce. Over the past 5 years I advanced through the ranks, made it to management and earned a PMP and a Six Sigma Black Belt qualification.

The "Education" section on my resume is not very impressive and is quite a deterrent to elite firms, so I would like to make up for it. I am interested in broadly defined business and management, but also have been working on Digitization and Data Science projects, so considering that too.

COST AND TIME MATTER - I currently can't afford an elite MBA and can't stop my career for 2 years, so looking at distance / online learning.

What Master's Degree would you recommend? I have found the following options:

Arizona State - Online MBA
Johns Hopkins - Flexible MBA (this is getting expensive)
George Washington - Online MBA (expensive too!)
Harvard Extension School - Master's in Data Science or Master's in Management
Georgia Tech - Master's in Manufacturing Leadership, or Master's in Analytics
University of Pennsylvania - Computer and Information Technology
Columbia's MS in Technology Management really hits the spot, but it's fully on campus :/

Any help would be much appreciated.

 
Most Helpful

Which firms are you applying for which won't give you the time of day?

Honestly, I would think Big 4 and boutiques would be interested in you given your PMP and black belt now that you are a mid-career professional. Feel free to PM me your resume if you'd like me to take a look at it. I think something else might be going on there since I've come across people who majored in psychology, romance languages, etc. and work for major firms.

MBB will be a struggle, moreso because of your lack of top-tier MBA. They would continue to be a struggle if you went through any of those programs.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • Cornerstone Research 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.7%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $368
  • Principal (25) $277
  • Director/MD (55) $270
  • Vice President (47) $246
  • Engagement Manager (100) $226
  • Manager (152) $170
  • 2nd Year Associate (158) $140
  • Senior Consultant (331) $130
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (108) $130
  • Consultant (587) $119
  • 1st Year Associate (538) $119
  • NA (15) $119
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (146) $115
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (344) $103
  • Associate Consultant (166) $98
  • 1st Year Analyst (1048) $87
  • Intern/Summer Associate (188) $84
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (552) $67
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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
Kenny_Powers_CFA's picture
Kenny_Powers_CFA
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...”