Education · 1 of 4
The path
There is no consulting license and no single degree. What there is, is a hiring funnel built around internships and case interviews.
- 1
High school
Grades 11 and 12
Math and statistics, economics if offered, and anything that makes you argue a point out loud. Debate and student government both count.
- 2
Bachelor's degree
4 years
Business, economics, engineering, math, psychology or even history. Firms hire the thinking, not the subject. Keep your grades high because they screen on them.
- 3
Summer internship
10 weeks
The single most important step. Most firms fill entry level jobs from their own summer interns, recruited in the junior year.
- 4
Analyst or associate
2 to 3 years
Two to three years of research, interviews, spreadsheets and slides under senior people who mark up everything you write.
- 5
Promote, or leave and come back
Year 3 onward
Move up to consultant and manager, or leave for an industry job or an MBA (Master of Business Administration) and return higher.