McKinsey & Company Hear me out people, I start with Mck next week with TC(150k) doing data/strategy stuff. Great. I am about to finish an interview process with Apple doing purely technical data stuff. I imagine the TC will be significantly higher from Apple(200k~). As I really want to pick up the business acumen from Mck, would it be stupid to try and get Mck to renegotiate despite start date being so soon(given I get an offer from Apple before start date)? I have already accepted offer from McKinsey & Company
Mentor
100% go with Apple
Coach
From a TC perspective I’d strongly suggest going the Apple route. I recently joined after 8 YOE at big 4 Consulting where I was an M2 and went from $150-160k to $325k TC. Not sure how McK comp compares in the long run but just some other data points to consider.
Also the stock refreshers are no joke.
Enthusiast
The Big4s give you any indication of your partner path potential? What are chances you will make a Partner at McK? At this point you are calculating the odds; looks like Apple route is has more chances of you getting to the target TC after several years.
Coach
McKinsey doesn't negotiate. Salaries are standardized for everyone with the same title and tenure.
Just renege on McKinsey and go with Apple.
YES
At the end even McK folks leave to join the big tech/FAANG
Yea... Since you already accepted, you have 0 leverage. But Apple tho sounds sexy...
Go to apple
IF you get the apple offer and care about your wlb at all (want to go to the gym, see your friends/fam, sleep 8 hrs) go to Apple. For the majority of the time you are at mck you can have none of these (unless you are one of the people i have suspiciously never met in real life that make this happen).
+1 to this — your business acumen is gonna come with a very heavy personal price tag at McKinsey and can quite frankly be picked up at a ton of other places
Wow, offers from literally both my dream companies... what group do you sit in at Accenture? #goals
I don't really care about the general "prestige" cuz in my mind data is the most interesting stuff but if it affects the pay and also resources the firm is willing to allocate then it's gonna be an issue for sure
Go to Apple.
Am I the only one who realizes they haven’t gotten the offer from Apple yet?
If you want to develop business skills stick to McK. If tech matters, go for Apple.
I can name plenty of execs who did come from McKinsey too: Sheryl Sandberg, Sundar Pichai, Jeff Immelt, Meg Whitman, etc. This is like the argument that Bill Gates dropped out of college so you should too. All paths to leadership are unique, and McKinsey is one path to get you there.
Mentor
Skip the pain and go straight to Apple tbh.
What group is your Mck offer in?
I would do McK..
Run away while you can, that’s what we’re all trying to do here
What's your YOE?
The reason I ask is because levels fyi makes it seem like that >200k in data at your YOE is unlikely
I haven’t done FAANG but I’ve been in tech as a product manager prior to BCG. The question really depends on what are you optimizing for. If it’s tech and comp (and no desire to be partner), you should go the Apple route. You will get the years of experience on your resume and working in depth on problems instead of surface-level engagements.
Otherwise, the strategy and business/client skills I’m learning at BCG have been invaluable. As you move up your career path, a lot of those skillsets are transferable post consulting.
I left McK for Apple. If you’re in a software-related org, the pay is better (my TC more than doubled) and the hours are WAY easier (especially now—McK friends are still drowning in super time-consuming DD work), but you definitely get exposure to more problems at McK. What’s your goal here? If you want to shift to doing strategy or BD work, maybe McK makes more sense. If you want to be a PM and/or stay in tech, go to Apple. If you want to start a company, I actually think McK is the better choice. You’ll learn more relevant skills and be exposed to more relevant topics. Honestly, the pay is a wash between the two. Yes, partners make millions (I think a little less for the first year partners), but the lifestyle is insane. At Apple, you’ll probably stagnate somewhere between 300 and 500k TC, but you get a ton of stock, so you could theoretically make considerably more. It’s a gamble though
Mentor
Do you have an offer from Apple?
McK rarely negotiates and not for very much. If it’s about TC it’s Apple.