MBB roles salaries in long run/ worth taking risk
Hi Guys, I am working as a software developer in Oracle( btech from old IIT) . Its been 2 years and I now want to switch to management consulting (preferable in MBB) to experience it so want to give MBA. 1. I did some research but I want to gain some information on the salary aspect of it. I heard that the salaries are not that high they would probably be in the same range that I am getting now. BUT, I want to know in the long run do consultants get more hikes compared to tech roles? 2. I heard the wlb is pretty bad so is there some resource that I can study to know if thats the right suit for me since its a big risk I’ll be taking moving on to a different field. There are some good exit opportunities also I believe after MBB can someone tell more about it. Would really appreciate some answers on this. Its on my head for a long time. Cheers!
As for MBB salaries, sharing some rough numbers - other posts on gvine also have some more details
(terminologies and pay differ marginally differ across the firms - Bain and Mck are pretty similar, BCG would be 5-10% higher - this is atleast till a consultant / manager level)
Junior Associate / Junior Consultant / Senior Associate (Level 1) roughly around 25+5L
Junior Associate / Junior Consultant / Senior Associate (Level 2) roughly around 30+10L
Consultant - roughly around 45+10L Extremely rare - offered only to candidates with a lot of years of work ex (4-5 yoe+)
Time period between each of these roles is roughly 1 - 2 years
Increments in total ctc slow down post that a little bit (goes up to ~1 Cr over 4 years thats when you're a senior manager / engagement lead)
Once you're Associate partner / Principal, your variable increases quite significantly - so then a good chunk of your earnings are largely basis performance and the kind of cases you do
On work life balance, yeah it can get pretty bad. But its generally very case dependent (and firm dependent - bcg really has the worst wlb out of the 3 but they also pay the highest)
There are days on my cases I've worked till 2-3 am, there are days I've closed work at 4 pm as well. I would say on average, you would work a 65-70 hour work week.
Weekends are protected at Bain (not sure about Mck and BCG) - over the last 3 odd years at Bain roughly, I would've maybe worked 4 weekends. But essentially i have no time for a life outside of work on weekdays typically.
As for exit opportunities, I think its very market dependent - but exit is especially great if you want to move to either a VC/ PE role or a strategy / chief of staff kind of role.
MightyLazyGeekStar
Stealth
9 months ago
24/7 work setup but you start at 45 CTC at an MBB. The fixed pay could be upwards of 30. If you want wlb, you are better off in your current setup. Also consultants are business folks so they get more exposure and a great network to tap into
I had gone through the placement report of ISB/IIMA and the average total compensation is around 30-35. What are the sources for the 45CTC?
MightyLazyGeekStar
Stealth
9 months ago
Offer letter of folks :)
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Indusplateau
Stealth
9 months ago
Developers are in great demand. Just skill up to get a role in product company if you want challenge work. Consulting is niche and will remain niche
Loads of senseless comments here makes me realize people don't know shit about how consulting has evolved in the recent past. I am a Principal at top 3 consulting firm (not in India coz pay is very less, culture is shit) My last 3 projects have been
1. Building /Optimizing app for one of the largest e-commerce retailers in Middle East
2. Working with top 5 hedge fund in the area on their clean energy investment strategy
3. Working with a global energy giant on their tech and digitization tools....and it goes on
You will get the wrong impression if you ask folks struggling in unprofitable startups managing hardly 20-30 LPA. Reach out to folks on LinkedIn and 1:1 setup to truly understand. From my experience, Bain has been doing extremely good work in the tech and digital space (I am sticking to this space given your background and inclination)
@HappyCactus9 Thanks. So youre suggesting I should do a global MBA program for foreign consulting jobs. The reason I said IIM was I wanted to stay in India only permanently. Is the culture that bad here?
Yes, the culture/WLB is bad and the pay does not compensate enough for that. You needn't do a global MBA, you can take a abroad transfer after a year in India if you join from IIM. It's a tradeoff you have to choose.
Consulting is the most useless job imho. They have created unreal aurora around it.
If you are looking for salary hike then no it is not worth it.
If you are looking for leadership roles then again it takes time even after MBA and there is no guarantee that you’ll get it
@WhiteWolf I am looking for jobs with but of business and finance side to it. Thats why I want to do an MBA.
Ohk then yeah you should go for it, if you have decided on your role post MBA then you should go for it.
If you are from Old IIT you wouldn't have a problem getting good hikes during promotions or when you switch.
Personally I feel the WLB and useless/no-impact work that consultants do is not worth a few extra lakhs.
Plus if you are skilled you can easily get paid more than management consultants even in tech.
I'm a PM and I'm getting paid the same as what Consultant level employees get in MBB. But I have much better work life balance, I create impact for the company and it's just so much better than making useless PPTs.
Tech is revolutionizing the world. Leave Oracle and join a startup bro. You will know how passionate engineers are about solving tough problems in the world.
Hi,
I saw your reply stating that you’re a PM. I wanted to know if I want to transition from software to PM, what could I expect in terms of salary. Are initial salaries less than that of tech?
If you make it to the partner stage, you’ll be swimming in money. But there’s a big IF - both from “was it worth it” angle as well as general well being side of things.
If prolonged super hectic lifestyle suits you, money won’t be an issue at the end of it
BahadurBilla
Stealth
9 months ago
First things first. Switch. Switch to a startup or a fast paced company where you can feel the impact of your work, find energetic people working towards a solid end goal. Oracle is too laid back. I worked there for 3 years. Then went for an MBA so pretty much the same bucket as your plan.
Next, Read about product management roles and try to experiment with a product role before taking the leap for MBA. With the current situation of the markets it’s a worse proposition than it was for me 4 years back.
Finally, even if you plan to go for an MBA would suggest you to go for a global program. Even if you want to stay in India, go for ISEAD maybe. Indian MBA after a tier 1 bachelor’s is kinda underwhelming.
Oh. Thanks for the startup idea. Thats something to explore I actually dont want to move to a product role right now. As for the global MBA/INSTEAD, I actually am interested in management consultant roles and I heard that the top MBB firms recruit only from the top bucket(IIT-IIM). In that case dont you think MBA from ABC is a good option?
BahadurBilla
Stealth
9 months ago
What’s your rationale behind preferring working for MBB over the tech industry?
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