First impressions

I am in my prime (26-30) and I think I can work more and as a result gain more out of prime than I have. Management Consulting seems to be capable of doing just that.

Earlier 80k hours suggests had rated ‘management consulting’ for me as the best option. Not sure why it removed it from the recommendations.

I like the idea of consulting and the associated hype of earning a lot with the possibility of earning in lower millions if I work at the best firms. It seems fast-paced and I am not fully sure if I can stand to its tests of working a lot, but I suspect that I can.

It requires long hours of work and will require >60 hrs per week for the next few years.

Diving into the details

Skills obtainable: problem-solving, presentation, analytics

Connections: Not sure, but should be good.

Credentials: Success appears to be tangible just like in DS, i.e., it should be possible to explain to future employers why I am good.

Runway: Doesn’t seem to be a problem, as this is possibly one of the highest paid jobs. But paying for an MBA would burn a lot of my current runway.

Known paths

At the start you join somehow (after a masters/other ways). TBD!

Work in consulting for a 2-3 years and then most people usually:

  • go for an MBA
  • work in the industry you served as a consultant
  • venture capital
  • private/equity
  • policy /civil service
  • work in the strategy team in a company

After an MBA ? TBD

Do we need an MBA to “succeed”?

MBA’s are pricy as of education as well as having to give up work for 2 years while studying. And executive MBA seems to be quite long. Even If I start now I would be able to finish it only when I am 31.

Can I start my executive MBA at 31? Can I do an actual MBA at 31?

Rob Mather the founder of AMF has an MBA, does amazing things

to get to senior positions within companies you don’t really need an MBA - 80k hours

David goldberg, the CEO of founders pledge has an MPhil in philosophy. His career is really interesting as he done quite some founding, being in top positions (General manager, Co-founder), and all this without an MBA.

Benjamin Todd CEO and co-founder of 80k hours, has had amazing accomplishments, all with a masters degree in philosophy and without an MBA.

I manage the team, and have especially focused on product design, strategy, fund-raising, writing our content and hiring. - Benjamin Todd

Of course, Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook and Satya Nadella all have MBA’s

To me the need for an MBA to found companies or lead them or to be able to killer-problem-solve seems not really necessary as there are others who have succeeded without it.

Strong indications

We think it suits someone with a well-rounded profile of good analytical skills, social skills, teamwork, and the ability to work hard.

I don’t think I am suited for it because…

  • I don’t know if I suited
  • I think I am not fast, if I am fast I might make mistakes with numbers?
  • Not sure how to rate my analytical ability
  • I am not quick with numbers, prefer a calculator as soon as I am dealing with 1000’s

However the analytical shit that I want to be good at can be gained as a skill, over time. I could spend the next few months if required prepping the fuck for this.

I suspect I should do some form of statistics and that I should start right away.

In which case it is better to take up something similar like and internship and see how I fare.

Things I am unsure of

How much will I get paid at start, after MBA, and is it easy to earn in the lower millions?

Do companies sponsor doing an MBA?

Is doing the MBA same everywhere?

what about MBA in part-time?

What type of skills or credentials does it give?

What are known paths after clocking a few years in as a management consultant?

How to get into Big 3 without doing a master?

MBA allows to learn about other sectors like finance etc…?

What is the career path, at start, midway and end?

P.S

1.2 hrs of work continuously and then had to break until later in the night when I was procrastinating and just “finished the essay” (0.5hrs).

Researching in itself can hold me to keep continuing. I was wondering how I would determine if MBA is needed or not. I saw that today I spent >1 hr straight up without flinching doing my work. It’s when I see the time that I want to take a break and everything goes downhill from there on. And when I just wanted to write something and sleep, I started going deeper into reading about something and making some notes. ‘Researching’ and attempting to solve problems in itself could be its end.

The first 10 words and the topic are probably the hardest parts of this life. Peace