re: Big 4 Consulting

quote:

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What advice would you give a young person trying to break into consulting at one of the Big 4 (Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, EY)?

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Depends on what you are defining as "consulting". The only one of the Big 4 that still has a distinct "consulting" arm is Deloitte. The rest have what they call Advisory practices. In truth it's becoming more and more that the distinction between advisory and consulting is extremely blurred. The main distinction tends to be that majority (not all) of advisory work tends to be more technical and granular (e.g. operational units, back-office functions,etc.) than work done by McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc. Core consulting tends to deal with more high level strategy, etc.

In terms of how to break in, the best way is to get an internship. Beyond that there isn't one thing you should or shouldn't study. It doesn't matter. Also look to see if there is a particular "rotational" program that they offer. For example, EY offers both the Business Advisor Program and the Technology Program within their FSO Advisory service lines. Neither are truly "rotational", but it does provide opportunities to bounce various advisory lines.

ETA: I'm assuming you are still in school. If you already have work experience, then my answer will change slightly.