My experiences about Cranfield MBA ..... and beyond

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Consulting vs. Industry: Is it a valid debate?

While studying for my MBA @ Cranfield, I had tried securing roles in Consulting sector. The desire was fuelled from the self-belief that a consulting role should be a logical progression following my long industry stint. After all, consultants are problem solvers for the industry - so my industry experience would hold me in good stead. Right?

Wrong! Well, at least that is what my experience during the job hunt told me. A consultant looks for a consultant (almost always) even if in my view it is not correct!

Three months into a consulting career after 15 years in the industry - that's where I stand today. And I thought it would be a good idea to actually do a stock-take and look back over my shoulder.

The very fact that I managed a foray into management consulting does confirm that industry experience is relevant. I still cannot imagine a case where I as a client in industry would be happy if approached by a 25-26 year old consultant who has never had his hands dirty "doing" things. Industry experience lends credibility to a consultant. It also coaches you to be able to see solutions while wearing the cap of a realist. And above all, it equips you with the interpersonal skills (or at least the awareness about it). Whether it is organisational politics, power games, superior - subordinate management or hierarchical nuances - it is the industry experience that will teach you all this.

What did the industry stint not offer me that the consulting sector is!
A couple of things so far:
- The variety of assignments; across diverse industries, different sets of problems to be resolved, exposure to functions / challenges that I had not worked on before
- Skill to look at things from a macro level before a need to do a deep-dive in details
- Critical skill to communicate more from less, especially when writing a PowerPoint deck
- Conflict management - unlike industry, the teams you would work here do not have a hierarchy to assist you when needed; everyone is a peer
- Unlearn and relearn - as you move from assignment to assignment, not only are you cross pollinating your knowledge, you would also be unlearning and relearning continuously.

In a nutshell, I'd say that the debate, if it exists, is itself flawed. I would still stick to my belief that industry experience is a must for consulting career (vice-versa not true). And I would agree that consulting experience takes you on that "extra" marathon of learning curve. Let's see how my journey unfolds.

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