Career path to consulting

Question

Hi All,

I'm currently employed in a major listed company as a senior strategy manager. I finished my bachelor 2.5 years ago and worked in M&A for 1 year during my studies and 2 years before starting my current position. In M&A I quickly advanced from analyst over associate and senior associate to project manager. This summer before joining my current employer I had offers from 2 MBB and unicorn data-consultancy. However, I rejected all 3 as the strategy position paid 3x and this enabled me to a) pay off student debt in 1 year and b) save for grad/business school - the company even has a program that allows for going to grad/business school on leave/part-time with no strings attached.

I kept on good terms with the companies from which I received offers, as they understood my situation, and I'm still frequenting their offices and still being encouraged to apply. I feel like I'm actually a slightly more interesting candidate now than earlier - and my plan all along is to apply again when I'm off debt and with a grad/MBA degree in my hand. Hopefully in ~2 years.

However, recent events in my company made me doubt. The company is going company-wide Agile. And most strategy positions are being transformed to Product owners, chapter leads, Agile Coaches and Agile consultants. My question then is if this would decrease my chances when (re)applying - meaning, Agile coach or Product Owner, e.g, is that a sought for and recognized position as opposed to my current strategy role? Would it make sense to capitalize on my current role and apply before possibly transferring to a new (agile) role and apply now instead of following my "plan" of applying in 2 years' time?

Thank you loads in advance

Answer 1

Hi! I can speak for McKinsey: candidates with agile experience have been really searched for in the past few years. I have myself done two “agilization” projects at the Firm and we were struggling to find experts within the Firm who had an agile experience in the industry. It was ~3 years ago, now the situation is probably better, but I believe the topic is still very hot and this will be a BIG advantage for you, not a disadvantage, so do not worry about it :)

Answer 2

Hi,

Agile coach gives you much more benefits thana pure strategy role. Nobody cares about strategy nowadays. Consulting is becoming a one-stop-shop for Digital, Design, Agile, etc. Your current role is much more relevant for MBB companies. Moreover - all these roles now have a career track to the partner

Best

Answer 3

Dear A,

Rola of Agile Coach will give you a lot of benefits. Don't worry.

Best,
André