Hi all,I am an MBA student wanting to go into strategic consulting (Big 3 or boutique firm specialized in TMT industry). I have the opportunity to take Bloomberg terminal training this month.Do you think it may be useful for my career? Is it worth to dedicate time to it or is it seldom used in this industry?Thank you!!

Pretty pointless, but if it's something that interests you and won't cost anything then go for it

"Bloomberg terminal"....? What is this, the late 1970s? Do they supply the hardware as part of their solution? Surely they train you in how to use their software, not how to use their "terminals"? As Calibri says, might as well do it if it's free. But I've yet to see a MC that uses a Bloomberg terminal. I'm sure many of them analyse and download data from their website or software or something like that, though.

BEP – you’ve let yourself down with this one! You should get hold of Bloomberg’s “autobiography” – his story is regarded as pretty much the perfect application of how to develop proprietary technology that does exactly what the business user needs, thus blowing out the water the perceived requirement for open integration/interoperability. He provided banks with the absolute best bond pricing data, but only of you bought into his terminals.Seriously – the guy was effectively made redundant with a $50M cheque and all the kudos of being a successful investment banker in the days when that was something to be proud of. 99% of the guys made redundant beside him went into quiet retirement (who blames them!). Instead, he built up a multi-billion tech/fin data firm and went on to be a huge philanthropist and mayor of New York.

Hehe... well yes he clearly made a lot of money but I do wonder whether the idea of supplying dedicated workstation hardware in order to run a software package is an outdated one... except maybe if you're supplying the computers they put on space ships or somethingConsider this: Did they also supply specialised seats that go with the terminals, in order to ensure the optimum ergonomic experience and to ensure maximum user productivity when using the terminals?hehe u are entirely right though... and I wish I had come up with the idea first!! :)

IMHO, Bloomberg is best compilation of financial data (public companies) available. Yes, terminal is probably an archaic way of delivering it, but try telling that to any trader/investor on the street.Most people think of it as delivery mechanism for real-time market data, but they have done a lot more to the offering in recent years. I see analysts looking to answer broader questions on supply chain dependencies, general market trends in various industries/markets going to Bloomberg these days.It is a key information source, I would attend the session, just to understand what is out there if you need it down the line.

also, if you do the Bloomberg training, you might want to consider joining a bank. They pay much, much more than MC these days!

I've seen them and the special keyboards seem to be hewn out of solid iron to prevent angry traders from breaking them!

Yes - Bloomberg is used a lot in some strategy firms (which do a lot of financial modelling).You may find the course useful - but more regular use will be needed to in order to become proficient.