What's worse for Consulting: Audit or Operations?

Operations at JPMorgan would be more helpful. This is not close.

well consulting means talking to clients, gathering requirements, doing analysis so I think audit might help more? not exactly sure but either way you need to describe either job on your resume well and relate it to consulting.

Ops - hands down better.

Operations will provide you with a technical skillset you can immediately "apply" as a consultant. Likely better for salary, and a better starting position if you're trying for MBB type firms.

Audit: Excellent internal opportunities within the Deals Stream of a firm, learning what working in professional services is like vs. industry, client facing skills, and if you're a good networker no real reason why you couldn't move into the firm's advisory practice. It happens (rare, but half of that is most CA/CPA candidates don't think about consulting as an option).

I would side with those believing Operations is the advantage, but don't discount the value of having client facing skills. These are one of the biggest hurdles to new consultants.

TT

Operations, no brainer

Wow it surprises me how all of you would opt for ops instead of audit. I guess I had the wrong picture of operations in my mind as it is always regarded inferior to almost everything else you can do at a bank.

Within ops, would you recommend a generalist or a specialist stream, keeping in mind my future consulting aspirations? I'm having a hard time finding out about the actual different between these two internship alternatives.

Thank you

FWIW, I work with former Big 4 auditors that were able to get into MBB consulting firms after a top MBA. My friends that are currently in operations are having no luck moving into consulting at all - even with my referrals to the consulting firm that I used to work at. Of all the consultants I know, both from my former firm, and from my current job, there is not a single person that arrived in consulting after operations work at a bank. I would say do audit, since you will likely be able to get a better MBA from audit than operations, which can lead to a consulting offer. I wouldn't say this is particularly close either... Not sure why others seem to think otherwise.

This is funny - I am so much more confused now after hearing all these different opinions... But I guess there is no clear winner in this, although some posters say there is...
anyone else?:)

honestly I think the people on this thread who feel strongly about one or the other are forgetting that you're only applying to internships, not full-time and that recruiters won't look into it as much.

I don't know understand how people are telling you to pick Operations. Its a fine job in its own light, but I'd go with Big-4 Audit if your end goal is Consulting. Say what you will about Audit, but its a client-facing role, and meaningful interaction with different clients occur daily. You have an opportunity to learn different processes in the business, build deliverables, etc. This can be fairly easily spun in a Consulting Interview. Also, don't discount the fact that every Big-4 has an Advisory Department (KPMG?), which many future MBB Consultants come from. Compare this to an Ops role, where you will most likely have ZERO client-facing opportunities and a subpar network.

That makes sense. I wonder which change is more probable or feasible:
- a switch from operations to front office OR
- a switch from audit to advisory
within the same firm, i mean.

Lol wow, I guess the only thing worse than Ops on this board is Big 4 auditing apparently. I'd go with Big 4. People over here like to crap on the Big 4 because it's a "state school job", they take a ton of people each year, and since it won't lead to PE/HFs without a top MBA/Contacts/Luck. At least at the Big 4, you'll be doing client work and can transition to TAS services groups within them.

Additionally, even though one won't be doing journal entries as a consultant, audit will still help one learn more about business processes and a good background in accounting can't hurt as a consultant even if it's not a necessity. I'd also argue that if consulting STILL doesn't come by after a Big 4 stint, one has much better exits into industry positions from the Big 4 than Ops.

I work in corp finance, which is similar to "Ops" and I can't possibly imagine how anything I'm doing could relate consulting/IB in the future. This is why I'm considering going for a masters in accounting and using the Big 4 to transition to something better if the job market doesn't pick up.

MBB consultants I know:
1. Former auditors: 3+
2. Former Big 4: 5+
3. Former BO bankers: 0

Andres - I'm interested. Surely the auditors didn't go straight from Big 4 Audit into MBB consulting. What were the intermediate steps?

Big 4 Audit -> MBA -> MBB?

Were there other steps involved, and if so, what were they? Thanks!

30-40% placement into consulting from a M7 is pretty misleading as that's among all students. Among students who are actively pursuing consulting, it will be far higher. The majority of your class will probably not want to be a consultant even if they were simply offered the job.

From a European perspective I would go for JPM as internship to have the brand on your CV

wow I was reading somewhere that working at Big 4 advisory and going M7 MBA wasn't that impossible? I mean, M7 MBA can't all have bankers/traders/MBB people, right? They recruit actively people from many different career paths

for an internship, go with JPM.

if this was for a FT role, it's audit every time

HI guys, thank you for all the advice, I just got an internship at Deloitte Consulting so thankfully I won't need to make the above decision anymore:)

*In fact, I could do the audit internship after deloitte, but I don't know if it makes much sense...