Jump to the following questions:

• Can you explain a bit about your background and your journey before your MBA?
• Why did you want to do an MBA? 
• Were there any specific advantages or disadvantages to the MBA?
• Did you know you wanted to go into consulting?
• Were there any challenges when job hunting as an MBA student?
• Is there anything you wish you had known before your MBA?
• Is there something within your role at Bain that you’ve been surprised by?
• What are some of your key learning points that you've kind of figured out over the last two years?
• What’s the best advice you can give to someone looking at applying to a role similar to yours?
• What’s the best career advice you’ve received?
• What resource (book, podcast, video etc) has helped you grow in your role/career?
• What has helped you navigate COVID-19?

Can you explain a bit about your background and your journey before your MBA?

I started in the world of IT as a developer after completing my degree in math and computer science. I was able to pivot to a business analyst role within the same company, giving me more client interaction, which is something I got a lot of energy from. I was with that company for about five years, one as a developer and the rest as a business analyst doing ERP implementations. On that journey I moved from quite a technical role to be more client-focused, that was really the start of the pivot in a way and I was able to pursue something that suited my personality better, before starting the MBA.

Why did you want to do an MBA?

The MBA decision was related to that change in my career path, I wanted to do something broader in my perspective, and not be as IT-focused as I was. The MBA seemed like a more natural choice for getting a strong business education, given that I came from a more technical background. 

London was an easy choice because of its international stature. The business world, in London, is so broad and so strong that I felt it would be a great fit. Plus, it's an English speaking country, it's also somewhere I've always enjoyed visiting beforehand. I loved that the business school was in central London, and actually being in the hub of the city makes a big difference to your life outside of the MBA. 

Were there any specific advantages or disadvantages to the MBA?

A key advantage was that It allowed me to explore a few different ideas that I had in my mind about what the business world entailed. I had a very limited view of what the different roles looked like, as no one in both my personal and professional spheres had gone beyond maybe more obvious career paths. The MBA just really allows you to get a good view of a lot of different career choices. Like what would my life look like if I went into finance or tech but from a product role, or what would it look like in consulting, etc?