Hello I have a double first from Cambridge in Maths and English, an MBA from Harvard (I was top of my class) and a PhD from King's College London in Quantitative Business Modelling. I have a raft of extra curriculars,including president of the student union at Cambridge. Does this make me a good catch for consultancy or am I barking up the wrong tree? Are there any firms I should be particularly targeting? Thanks.

A very important step in deciding whether consultancy (or any other career path) is right for you is determining what you are after in life. For money, there are better roles in investment banking. For intellectual challenge, there are better roles in academia. For influence, there are better roles in government and defence. For debate, there are better roles in law. Even within consultancy, there are myriad roles and firm cultures that suit quite different people.Quite possibly some form of consultancy is for you. Listed below are some things that are worth considering, or that are worth knowing for anyone giving you advice.* What work experience do you have?* What academic research experience do you have?* What was your PhD thesis on? (There may be some mileage in exploiting this if it's particularly relevant and reflects where your career interests lie.)* Where do your personal interests lie? (For example, with your student union involvement, are you particularly interested in politics?)* What are your extra-curricular involvements?* Where do you want to work, geographically speaking?* What are your family commitments and plans? (Not very politically correct, I know, but nevertheless an important consideration for men and women alike.)Right now, almost all firms have closed recruiting at the junior levels for the season; any recommendations made now will likely be out of date by the time they review staff levels later this year.In the meantime though, you could do some research through your alumni networks and university careers services. I expect you should still be able to draw on all three services for advice and they may be able to give you contact details to have an informal chat with people working in different areas who could give you some personal insight.

Pretty unique to excel in both maths and english!But I mean in your travels did you not mix with folk from consultancy firms and ask them? Since you have the best academics, surely you would be looking at McKinsey, who hire graduates, advanced graduates and mbas.I can't imagine any tree is the wrong tree with your academics, you could pretty much do anything you like.If you wanna do something inspirational in your career, why not aim to get involved with this company, later on: http://www.technoserve.org/They are comprised primarily of McKinsey Alum, and they engage in business development in the developing world - the old "teach a man to fish" trick.With your exceptional potential it would be a shame to waste it on purely selfish pursuits.

Hello. Well that largely depends on what else you've been doing! You don't say how old you are so it is tricky to work out whether you are a youngish career academic, or someone a bit older who has also had some relevant work experience.Either way, I would imagine that the strat firms will want to talk to you (McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, etc). Good luck!

Thank you for this. I shall certainly look into Technoserve. In reply to the other poster, my PhD was on quantitative methods for business - I use a specific I.T. technology (my own invention) to forecast growth areas for businesses across various domains. I've got a lunch appointment with a senior partner at a strategy firm in London, so I'll see how that works out. As for having made contacts during my studies, indeed I did talk to people from McKinsey et al. I seem to be leaning more, however, towards investment banking and particularly Goldman Sachs. Again, crazy as it sounds, I've been invited to dinner by a senior manager at GS so this seems to be another area to pursue. I do enjoy intellectual fulfilment but the money in academia is just paltry compared to the private sector. Any other thoughts from consultants very welcome.

Sounds strange that you spent 2 years to get an MBA from Harvard and don't have an opinion about consulting.....

The whole thing sounds distinctly strange... It is rare to non-existent to get a first in both maths and english (not to mention the fact that double anythings are unlikely these days, because few people change unless they're bored/a bit crap), and as far as I know only a few CUSU (that's Cambridge University Student Union, for non-Cambridge people) presidents have even got a first, given the amount of political work needed in your final year to get elected for the sabbatical position. Even if that was true, are we supposed to believe that after that you not only got into, but spent the 2 years needed for a degree, at the Harvard Business School without even finding out about whether consultancy would be right for you? And when you decide to ask, you do it on a random internet message board instead of through the Harvard network? Like hell you do...Either you're here to big yourself up by telling everyone what a great ride you've got, or more likely, you're a liar/fantasist... either way, there's no point wasting the time of genuinely helpful people. I hope you have a lot of fun at those lunches with senior partners at McKinsey and Goldman Sachs, whether they're real or imaginary, and wish you the best of fantasy luck.

Chill - I don't think any of it's meant to be a serious attempt at a con. The post seems to be someone's attempt at creating a satirical thread. I think there should an icon for the tongue being firmly in cheek, along with the smiley face and thumbs up.

I'd say this is all bollocks too, but unfortunately I think I'm going to be interviewing this person...I'm green with envy.

I find it unfortunate that you feel so jealous. If you have any doubts about my credentials, I advise you enquire at Christ Church college. I did not find the role of president particularly challenging to undertake alongside my studies - there was a good overlap I felt - I enjoyed it greatly and made many lasting friends there including Chelsea Clinton. It was Chelsea's father who recommended I apply to Harvard as he had found it so worthwhile himself. I do not pretend to be a business person, so I am sorry if I don't know as much as you about consulting. I worked very hard to make up that disadvantage and graduate at the top of the class and perhaps that is why I did not have as much time as others for networking, and feel the need to ask others' advice here. Furthermore I then had a year away from the consulting job marketplace whilst I was interning at the U.N. and Goldman Sachs and completing my PhD research. Sometimes I think my life is a fantasy but I am just very talented and lucky.Back on my original question I should have said that I would like to find a firm that will allow me time off for speaking engagements. Does anyone have anything helpful they want to contribute?

This is intollerable!! If you too are going to be envious, then perhaps you should reove yourself from the situation and let someone more professional take over the interview. I am getting sick of people not accepting my achievements for what they are, and giving me the due respect instead of poking holes in every little thing. You are all very small and pathetic people and will end up working for Accenture where you belong!

Jolly good to hear you managed to go to Oxford University as well as Cambridge. Did you get a first class degree there as well?Why don't you ask your friend Chelsea about consulting. I heard she ended up working for one of the smaller ones - Mckneeseys or something.

The fact that Chelsea Clinton went to Oxford Uni may have made things a bit difficult and the fact that Bill never went to Harvard, but Yale! Stop wasting people's time who are here to genuinely help people. Probably some sad analyst who is bitter the fact that their career is going nowhere and this is his/her way to escape reality.

Yeah i was willing to believe Darwin, until Chelsea Clinton was mentioned.Although it's still possible - someone of those credentials would not stoop to soliciting praise on a bulletin board.I suppose we could set a maths test or something: Darwin, what's the integral of "one over cabin"? (joke)The answer is "natural log cabin". :)

There is someone impersonating me on this forum. I wrote the first comment, but that's all. The second comment, written using my name, is NOT by me. This mention of Chelsea Clinton is written by someone trying to undermine the reality of my first comment. Clearly the person who wrote it is threatened by my achievements. Alas, I make no excuses for them. Clearly this person needs to get a life. I stand by my first comment, and that's that. I never asked for praise from anyone. My comment sounds naive in hindsight because it was rattled off in a hurry. I CANNOT BELIEVE the outcome to this thread.

Haha, well you gotta laugh.Perhaps there should be a log in for this.You'll have to change your name as you have become a figure of hate.

Welcome to the world of consulting. I've been here for four years and it's full of small-minded, insecure pricks. I suggest you take your achievements elsewhere - don't get sucked into this industry.

I suspect that this is none other than that blond curly haired oik who was presented as some sort of prodigy some while ago on Wogan or similar …a lisping ‘antique expert’ at the age of twelve. Or maybe it is none other than Basil Fotherington-Thomas, wiz at maths greek the hole universe and everything (hem-hem) but who, as everyone kno, is utterly wet and a gurly. Chiz chiz!

i believe you Darwin. are you available for sperm donation tho?

There's one for the books: a Fanny asking for sperm. Ho ho!

So unnecessary