In short: Who insecure overachiever is. Motivation for my McKinsey story. Why I chose McKinsey among MBB. Some useful references
This is the first post in the “Insecure Overachiever” series, a narrative about my 3 years at McKinsey.
Who Is an Insecure Overachiever?
A talented young man or woman in their 20s or 30s with enormous ambitions and a deep fear of not achieving them. The ideal McKinsey consultant, as many partners say (I personally heard it several times at the Firm). Read these two short articles about insecure overachievers on Business Insider and Elaine’s blog. Recognized yourself?
If so, continue reading.
Why Am I Writing This Story?
Because to my knowledge so far there is no detailed unbiased account of what work in Big 3 is like. Currently a curious reader discovers several options:
- Consulting-is-my-dream-job accounts of current consultants teamed with marketing (for example, see McK, BCG, and Bain)
- A high-level low-quality discussion of consulting pro and contra on yuptalk
- A similar but higher-quality discussion on Quora
- A basic overview of salaries
- Hate speeches by people jealous of these salaries
- And Irene’s blog about her travel adventures
My goal is to be a little more specific. I will take you by the hand and lead you through offices, team rooms, hotels, airports I’ve seen and lived in. Within certain limits imposed by client confidentiality and my ex-colleagues’ privacy, I will share with you what I did, what I liked, what I disliked, and, most importantly, what I learned.
I will be happy if, upon reading my posts, you will have a better view on whether consulting is the right path for you. Your (hopefully enhanced) judgement will lead to either of the two outcomes, both favorable for all concerned:
- You understand that you love consulting. You develop more rigor, motivation, and discipline in your prep. Perhaps you reach out to Fless, and we help you. You get an offer, become a successful consultant and a great asset for your company
- You understand that you do not love consulting. You do not waste time on interview prep or your life on doing something you find meaningless. You choose another career path and enjoy it. I do not get students with false interest. Consulting firms do not get demotivated employees who do not perform
Off to the races
Thanks,
Victor Rogulenko
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