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Thoughts on PE operations as an exit from MBB?
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Not sure about MBB, but when I left T2 at the Manager level, I landed a solid pay bump (~$35K) and a much better work-life balance (a real 9–5) — all thanks to a partner connection. The only real trade-off is that strategy consulting bonuses are unmatched — but everything else was a net gain.
If you leverage your MBB network, I’m sure something great will open up for you as well. You may just have to stick it out until Manager or the 5–7 year mark like I did.
I am in transformation at a bank now - so doing the same work with less pressure and more time
I believe you have to spend meaningful time in MBB to land solid offers, and need to build
a) expertise and credibility in a growing space
b) relationships with people who can and will really back you
c) persistence and time to find the right offer
As someone just about to exit at EM level (6+ yrs in consulting)- landed two roles, one had a +10pc comp jump, the other is at +45pc and I know I can have three more i can get at +30pc.
Fairly happy about my network coming through.
Right, 500K+
MBB is a scam in my opinion. Most exits I see are exactly what you said, much less pay and much slower career progression opportunities for better WLB. As a BA, most exits (not PE, FAANG) after 2+0 ish mark are 95-120k. So you basically grind for 2 years to make the same or less as a first year software engineer.
Wow, there are a lot of sour and uninformed people in this thread. Having spent time in industry both before and after McKinsey, and I’ll be the one who hires former consultants, MVP is a great spring board for a lot of people, but not everyone makes the right decisions.
Companies pay for people that know something about something. So many consultants go through MBB but never develop enough specific domain expertise to capitalize on the experience via exit opportunities. Unless you can crack PE or IB, no one else is going to open their wallet solely for general athlete skills.
And comparing yourself to peers that chose a different path does you no good. If you were truly that interested in tech, you could have focused on that industry during your MBB experience and then opened yourself up to more senior tech exits than you otherwise would have had having started there. That’s exactly what I did and ended up getting an L7 Google offer one post McK EM.
MBB on your resume doesn’t mean you don’t have to earn your path. There is a massive variance in success rates and dollars earned from MBB alums. Start building your expertise now in the area that you’d eventually like to exit.
We’re in an industry that loves to exaggerate. It’s not surprising that we exaggerate exit ops too.
Consulting exits are overhyped. The only consulting exits that truly pay a lot are all on the buyside, and outside of PE Ops, all of those positions are more accessible to investment bankers. I fell for the consulting propaganda and then had to spend the next several years fighting an uphill battle into the buyside. It was not fun and I highly regretted not doing banking. Even after getting to the buyside, I had to work hard to make up for the gap in financial modeling skills, and that first year was also not fun. Corporate Strategy/Development exits all cap out at like 400K (not including FAANG). That’s junior to mid level comp in the buyside, and I’m not including carry in those numbers
Consulting also starts super early. Banking recruiting happens second sem sophomore year. Consulting starts late second sem sophomore year or during the summer between sophomore and junior year
This is highly dependent on the industry, location, and both work experience in and outside of consulting.
Spent 5 years in SaaS pricing before MBB and then 4 years doing that work and more in tech at MBB for a job in the Bay Area? You’re going to get paid very well and likely better WLB.
Are you a 25-27 year old direct promote to EM/PL with just MBB experience across a wide range of industries looking for a role in Atlanta? You’re most likely getting a pay cut.
Are you a 2nd year consultant who did 5 years in teaching before bschool? Challenging.
I would still argue that MBB gives you a ton of options to recruit for, sometimes less pay and sometimes more. I’ve gotten some phenomenal opportunities that I likely wouldn’t have gotten otherwise, some of these paid less but still super interesting with presumed good WLB.
Rising Star
It's propaganda to get you in the door
This is not true. There are lots of great tech exits. But fewer at junior levels. Partner/ Principal exits from BCG into tech have been between 750k-1.3M. PL exits have been to Director and Sr Manager roles which is like 300-400k. But recognize that most people might not get into tech
It’s only true if you decide to suspend reality
Rising Star
Join a startup if you want high comp potential and no WLB. Also, there are MBB alumni in high positions in every industry in the world. Find what your truly interested in and reach out…