Who knows about management consultancy?

[okgo]

A mate of mine is looking at this area to move into as he thinks he would enjoy it and it woudl suit his personality.

At 24 without a degree (although has been working) what advice can be offered or is it a closed door?

[Doofus]

Settign up on his own, or working for a large consultancy (Deloittes etc)?

[okgo]

Working for a company... As a trainee or whatever I imagine...

[hadenough!]

I'd expect a management consultant to have theoretical knowledge gained through education and practical knowledge gained through experiance. It sounds like he may well have neither.

I'd start looking at relevant qualifications and professional bodies if I was him.

[bimjim]

As above, I think your friend would struggle to get picked up by one
of the big firms without either a degree or some serious experience.

Some info from Booz&Co here

[edc]

S/he'll find it very difficult to get into without any real industry experience at the right level and below grad level education. If going for a big org then it might be easier to go into one of their other divisions working on site on a contract (if technology oriented).

[V8mate]

okgo said:

A mate of mine is looking at this area to move into as he thinks he would enjoy it and it woudl suit his personality.

At 24 without a degree (although has been working) what advice can be offered or is it a closed door?

No chance.

[okgo]

hadenough! said:

I'd expect a management consultant to have theoretical knowledge gained through education and practical knowledge gained through experiance. It sounds like he may well have neither.

I'd start looking at relevant qualifications and professional bodies if I was him.

Any ideas that wouldn't involve him have to go back to uni full time for three years?

thanks chaps, I knew someone would have some ideas!

[hadenough!]

okgo said:

hadenough! said:

I'd expect a management consultant to have theoretical knowledge gained through education and practical knowledge gained through experiance. It sounds like he may well have neither.

I'd start looking at relevant qualifications and professional bodies if I was him.

Any ideas that wouldn't involve him have to go back to uni full time for three years?

thanks chaps, I knew someone would have some ideas!

I'd start by looking for relevant part time / distance learning courses and also make contact with this bunch: http://www.ibconsulting.org.uk/content_1.aspx?id=1...

[edc]

okgo said:

hadenough! said:

I'd expect a management consultant to have theoretical knowledge gained through education and practical knowledge gained through experiance. It sounds like he may well have neither.

I'd start looking at relevant qualifications and professional bodies if I was him.

Any ideas that wouldn't involve him have to go back to uni full time for three years?

thanks chaps, I knew someone would have some ideas!

Enter later on maybe after 5+ years when he has some project experience under his belt, perhaps with some lead roles, some change or systems/process implementation experience.

[mad4amanda]

I could tell you, but first who would I send the invoice to?

[Thankyou4calling]

Can I borrow your watch to tell you the time?

[Chilli]

Thankyou4calling said:

Can I borrow your watch to tell you the time?

Well, if everyone could actually tell the time, they wouldn't need such people!

OP, given the current climate, I'm afraid I think he has zero chance. During hard times these types are one of the first to go. Projects cancelled, staff culled, or new recruits put on hold. His best bet would be to work at a trainee in a project admin role, just to gain some experience and to learn the steps involved. Then with a few projects under his belt, maybe he'll be lucky enough to prove himself with a specific MC firm.

[Jonathan27]

I would be surprised if he could get in without a degree, unless he has bags of experience.
If he does then I would say the biggest thing to consider when deciding if its the industry for him, is how much is e willing to travel. Consultants work on clients sites and as such travel a LOT. Don't assume that this will be glamours trips to New York either, its far more likely to be a week in Solihull!

[Jasper Gilder]

The trick would be to get really good at something people find hard or uninteresting - Sage Accounting, Health and Safety, ISO accreditation, HR, IT etc. Then you have something saleable.

I fear that being bright and keen isn't enough - expertise and a track record ( or lots of contacts who are well disposed) are the keys

[bga]

V8mate said:

okgo said:

A mate of mine is looking at this area to move into as he thinks he would enjoy it and it woudl suit his personality.

At 24 without a degree (although has been working) what advice can be offered or is it a closed door?

No chance.

If the mate has good experience then they have every chance to get in, albeit as a junior level. If this wasn't the case many of my ex-colleagues would have never got into MC

[bga]

Jasper Gilder said:

The trick would be to get really good at something people find hard or uninteresting - Sage Accounting, Health and Safety, ISO accreditation, HR, IT etc. Then you have something saleable.

I fear that being bright and keen isn't enough - expertise and a track record ( or lots of contacts who are well disposed) are the keys

In my experience, this is key. If you can earn the MC money then they will want you. Experienced hires with niche skills have always been in demand.

[AyBee]

bga said:

V8mate said:

okgo said:

A mate of mine is looking at this area to move into as he thinks he would enjoy it and it woudl suit his personality.

At 24 without a degree (although has been working) what advice can be offered or is it a closed door?

No chance.

If the mate has good experience then they have every chance to get in, albeit as a junior level. If this wasn't the case many of my ex-colleagues would have never got into MC

I beg to differ, I have a 2:1 masters degree from a top uni in mechanical engineering including a year in industry at a well-known company, ABB at a-level and according to the application process for both Accenture and KPMG, I'm not qualified enough...despite a final year project award from the first one of those firms!!

[bga]

AyBee said:

bga said:

V8mate said:

okgo said:

A mate of mine is looking at this area to move into as he thinks he would enjoy it and it woudl suit his personality.

At 24 without a degree (although has been working) what advice can be offered or is it a closed door?

No chance.

If the mate has good experience then they have every chance to get in, albeit as a junior level. If this wasn't the case many of my ex-colleagues would have never got into MC

I beg to differ, I have a 2:1 masters degree from a top uni in mechanical engineering including a year in industry at a well-known company, ABB at a-level and according to the application process for both Accenture and KPMG, I'm not qualified enough...despite a final year project award from the first one of those firms!!

An experienced hire primarily needs specific skills and experience. I've seen it often where someone with 5 years experience and no degree will go in at the same level as a grad who has been in the company for 2 or 3 years.

It's a but O/T but grad entry is different and they have set the bar high over the last couple of years due to the relative lack of grad positions being available. Grad positions at my wife's firm (KPMG) have been hugely oversubscribed and they have been able to take their pick of the candidates based on very specific criteria. Accenture (another firm I do a lot of work with) is in the same boat. Reduced intake and lots more applicants for their sausage factory. I have taken on a grad very recently who failed to get onto their scheme yet is much more competent than the majority of 1st year ACN grads I have worked with.