[FT Offer] OW Dubai Vs Strategy& Deals

Question

Curious to know your thoughts on this- which would you pick?

-S& does a lot of PE CDD/ Growth Strategy work which would be good for exiting PE later whilst OW Dubai is mostly public sector work which I also don't mind but might not allign with my current goals (see below)
-Comp in Dubai is >2x LDN
-S& LDN only sponsors MBA for EU biz schools (from what I know which is not that ideal) whilst OW sponsors for the top US-based schools

Looking to hopefully exit to PE/VC/Big Tech in the future (getting a good MBA is a bonus)

OW is looking more attractive at the moment but I'm worried about the working culture there (more accustomed to London- been living there for a while)

Any input is appreciated!

Answer 1

Hi,

I could draft an answer where I say it all depends and totally comes down to you - and that is always true. However, that kind of answer would not help you.

I would not be concerned about compensation. IMHO, you answered the question yourself, consulting is a stepping stone for you into PE VC BIGTECH s/ MBA being a bonus.

I d pick Strategy& in LDN. Being able to immediately work on CDD in PE will help you to discover a plethora of different industries and you will get to experience how different funds "tick". I had done a lot of PE at Bain too and it was quite common for people to go ahead and take some time off (10+2 etc) and do an internship in PE. Some of my former PE colleagues at Bain ended up working at funds across Europe (small local funds up to the top-10 funds) along with top MBAs. For headhunters you will be a prime candidate and there is a chance you may leverage your Strategy& partners' network and develop your own network to get PE interviews.

OW - nothing to say against that. A contra argument would be your interest - you mentioned that you d not be interest in the public sector work. This could be detrimental. If you want to make a good exit and get into top MBA schools, your CV, essays, recommendation letters, interviews need to reflect this. This is only possible if you totally immerse yourself in your job and go above and beyond. And at least I could only do that if I had passion for what I was doing on the job.

Best,
Denis

Answer 2

Hi there,

Ultimately, what do you prefer? Doing what you want to do where you want to be, or making money?

S& sounds like doing what you want to do/where you want to be. OW Dubai sounds like making money.

OW Dubai $ will give you flexibility down the road but you may be more "stuck" professionally. S& gives you less flexibility financially down the road, but you will have more options (in what you want) professionally.

Your choice my friend :)

Answer 3

Can you add some detail to this? What's the question?

Answer 4

Hi there,

You probably better concentrate on what you're interested more at the moment and what your future plans are. I agree with Denis - you probably should go with S& - you get to stay in London which you prefer, you have better exit options (like PE in your case) and you get to work on projects you're interested in.

Cheers,

GB

Answer 5

First of all congrats on both offers! I was in a similar position to you earlier and was aiming for the same exit options.

I would think through which option is better for you in the long-term. Don't necessarily index on the short-term or comp as so much of this will change in the first five years of your career.

Feel free to reach out if you want to discuss

Answer 6

Hello!

Probably you won´t make a mistake with any, but I would try to see what is it what you want to do and star a career there.

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 7

Can I ask you what was your case interview question at Strategy&?