Need Advice: IT to Strategy post-MBA

All,

I worked for Big 4 in its IT practice before going to a business school. I am just completing my part-time MBA program from a non-target (but still a known school in Northeast). My goal is to complete my MBA and transition to strategy for one of the management consulting firms.

Recently, one of the folks from my prior Big 4 firm reached out to me and asked if I could join their IT project. According to this person, I could start in IT and then transition to their strategy practice after a year or so by building connections with people.

I wanted your advice. After completing my MBA, should I go back to IT in a hope that I can build connections internally to transition to strategy practice OR should I try my luck at management consulting firms through networking since they don't recruit at my school?

If I go back to IT and let's say I can't network my way in the S&O practice, will I spoil my chances of ever getting into strategy since I would have been out of grad school for a year at that point and in IT?

Please advice. Thank you.

 
Best Response

That is actually my planned path as well, IT consulting -> MBA -> S&O in MC. If I were you, I would try finding my way into pure Management Consulting.

You know this probably more than me, but I have heard that the "S&O" in IT Consulting firms are tied with technology more than other consulting firms say ATK or MBB. However, some people from Accenture and Deloitte rebuttaled my assumptions during a panel so I am not exactly sure what is it like really.

How far away from you from completing MBA? As far as I know, I've heard more cases of people finding their way into MC right after MBA than breaking into MC after a few year back into IT consulting (actually I have not heard of any example of the later case). So my advise is to network like hell at go for MC!

 

@skyblueseven - Thank you for the advice. After your advice and thinking about it for a while, I will be finding my way to MC post MBA instead of going back to IT consulting. It also helps with the story as it makes more sense to do MBA --> MC instead of MBA --> IT --> MC. I have about 1 semester left in MBA so I am a bit late in networking but will nevertheless give my best. I will send you a PM.

@bballer - I will get back to your PM next.

 

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