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How possible is it for a business info and cybersecurity undergraduate with a Tech Consulting firm business background to break into MBB ?

Hi, I am 29 years old and still studying for my undergraduate degree. I will be almost 30 once I finish my degree. I am currently doing a tech consulting firm based in UAE and Singapore for AI and strategic partnership solutions between both regions.

What are the chances of me breaking into it in the future assuming I take my MBA? 

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Top answer
Souhail
Coach
on Nov 01, 2024
Ex-McKinsey Manager and Interviewer - Knows exactly what you need to do to break into an MBB (>90% MBB success rate)

Will need a little bit more information to give you a concrete answer. (In which school are you studying, which MBA will you take, are you the founder of the tech consulting firm or an employee, what did you do in your 20s if you are still in undergrad at 29).

That being said, your background is more than OK to break into MBB (even a history major could break into an MBB if the school is prestigious). Info and cybersecurity is even cooler vs. business major for an MBB, they love people with engineering backgrounds and that could add technical expertise. But again it depends on the school you are going to.

If you are going to a non-target school, it will indeed be helpful to do an MBA. But make sure you break into a tier 1 MBA to make sure it adds weight to your resume. Otherwise maybe not worth it in my personal opinion.

Soh
Coach
on Nov 02, 2024
Commercial Strategy leader| Ex ZS | Ross MBA| Pharma/Market Size/M&A Expert| -30% 1st case| 15 min free consult

Hi,

Thanks for your question.

You have a good shot at breaking through an MBB if you join a top tier business school in US. I cannot speak for other regions. 

In top tier MBA schools, MBBs come for campus recruiting and a technology background should not be an issue as long as you do well in the interview, both case and fit. For the fit/behavioral interview, you should have a good story on why you are getting a MBA, why consulting and what are some transferable skills that you bring from your past experience that will help you be a good consultant.

However, given that MBA programs are very fast paced, and campus recruiting for internships start very soon after the programs start, it would be to your advantage to start case prep between your admission acceptance and program start. That will give you the opportunity to familiarize with  case solving before you start the interview season and help you get to the same level as some of your peers with business backgrounds. The competition is steep so anything you can do to plan in advance will be of help.

Feel free to reach out if you have more questions.

Thanks,

Sohini

Javier
Coach
edited on Nov 02, 2024
1st session: -30% | Best Price/Value | Ex-BCG | All time zones

Hi, 

Thank you for your question. I'll use my own personal experience to answer it.

My academic background is in engineering and I was working in tech (not even tech consulting like you) and had prior experience in supply chain at large companies, like Amazon or HP. I had a total experince of 4.5 years. And I didn't need an MBA to get offers from both BCG and Bain. I ended up joining BCG as a Senior Associate when I was 28. 

For your specific case, I would agree with Souhail that we need a lot more information to properly answer the question, but provided you had good answers for the questions he asks, I would say that you have a good chance to break into MBB, and even without an MBA (if you do puruse an MBA, make sure to get into a Tier 1 school, though).

Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

All the best!

Javier

Florian
Coach
on Nov 04, 2024
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 500+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hi there,

It depends on how long you were studying for this degree, what your grades are, what else you did (leadership, impact in your career).

Keep in mind that the competition at age 29 is candidate with MScs and MBAs and MBB is extremely competitive, esp. in the Middle East.

To make a proper assessment, one would need more information on the things mentioned above.

All the best,

Florian

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