Consultantcy firms come visiting and a few learnings for me...

In addition to hosting the first set of classes, last week also saw several visits from some of the world's top Management and Strategy consultantcy firms in the world. McKinsey & Co., Bain & Co., The Boston Consulting Group, Arthur D Little: you name it, they were here. Their primary intention was to recruit from the Class of December '06 (my seniors), but we were invited to partake in their presentations as well.

In recent years, Consulting has become such a pre-dominant occupation, it is considered a part of the "top three" sectors for professional managers; industry and finance being the other two. Firms and profit-seeking economic entities regularly need "experts" to analyze every facet of their business. Be it something as specific as inventory turn-over or something as fundamental as strategic market placement, it is often the consultant who brings in his expertise to help get companies back on track.

Now, having been in the telecom industry all my professional life, I was keen to get a feel of the Consulting lifestyle. I had heard several stories, ranging from the excellent renumeration schemes to the horrific lifestyles. Since consulting firms earn reveneues primarily by "billing" their employees, utilization becomes a key driver for success, much in the way services outsourcing works. Hence, firms are constantly looking to bill consultants. Having said that, a consultant's job is unmatched in terms of the exposure he gets to different fields, organizations, geographies, etc.

My personal goal and primal motivation for seeking an MBA remains the desire to work in a Strategic Planning role for a telecommunications company. To this end, the erudite around me claim that a couple of years of Strategic Consulting might be just the thing for me. The exposure and wisdom that this offers could place me very comfortably in my eventual (desired) position. That doesn't sound too bad, even if the hours do suck. But see, here's the problem: say, I get picked up by Bain & Co., who have tons of consulting assignments in the Airlines industry. Whether I like it or not, I will have to consult for the Airlines industry. Now, I know about as much about the Airlines inustry as my dog does about Lord Zeus. Not a problem: I will learn. But wait...what happens to that Strategic Planning role for a telco? Hmmm...deeper disussions and thought processes await my attention...