Non-integrative Career path

Question

Hi everyone,

I have recently accepted an offer to join Mckinsey as a C&I specialist. I have read quite a lot about the more back-office roles and have a few questions regarding the career path.

Please bare in mind I come from a non target school, and my resume is nowhere near the likes of most people at Mckinsey. I am sort of an outlier in this regard. (low GPA at non target school and 2yrs of industry experience at multinational firm) For this reason, the BA path is not an option for me.

1. Is the current C&I career equivalent to the “Expert path”?

2. Although I am not looking to switch to the integrative track, would it be possible to do an MBA and join the core consulting path?

3. Is there any possibility of client-facing work within the non-interactive track?

4. Are C&I specialists really considered “second class citizens” at Mck? (I understand the pay is lower, I'm referring to the day-to-day, are the expert path professionals respected in the firm?

My whole goal is to gain a nice name on my resume and exit to a more senior industry role.

Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

Hi there,

First, let me address this comment: “I am from a non target school, and my resume is nowhere near the likes of most people at Mckinsey”

Please get this thinking out of your head ASAP! You're in McKinsey, now all that matters is how you perform. Don't worry, everyone there feels like an imposter in one way or another :)

Now, the best answer to all of your questions will be speaking to people at your firm and in your office - they truly know best! Here is my understanding below (but take it with a grain of salt):

1. No, they are separate things: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/solution-vs-expert-path-at-mckinsey-14482

2. I can't see why not

3. Probably not in the way you're thinking (i.e. not in the same way a generalist would)

4. You are on a different track, but you aren't any less “respected”. At BCG we always immensely valued everyone working behind the scenes! It's just a different skillset - but we all need each other to support the client!

Here's the job description from McK website:

"Our capabilities and insights (C&I) colleagues work across different practices and geographies and are united in their dual role of deploying and building client capabilities. C&I professionals serve client service teams and clients by providing targeted expertise, assets, and methodologies to drive meaningful insights and industry analysis to create a clear picture of competitive landscapes. In addition, they build and evolve the firm’s knowledge and capabilities to develop and drive innovation. They often deploy these capabilities remotely."