Breaking into management consulting: a comprehensive guide

If you're a driven, curious professional who thrives on solving complex problems and making a real impact, management consulting might be the ideal career for you. 

This fast-paced, intellectually rewarding field positions you at the forefront of strategic decision-making. As a consultant, you'll work with top organizations to tackle their toughest challenges, improve performance, and shape their future. You won't just be analyzing data; you'll be influencing outcomes, guiding leadership teams, and driving meaningful change. 

In this guide, we'll break down what consultants do, why the work is so impactful, and how you can confidently step into this dynamic field. 

What is management consulting, and why is it so appealing? 

As a management consultant, you'll be the trusted advisor that organizations turn to for their most complex challenges. You provide strategic advice and hands-on support to help businesses improve their strategies, operations, and overall performance. 

Whether it's refining a company's strategy, improving its marketing, or navigating change, your insights will shape decisions at the highest levels. You'll work across various industries, tackle diverse problems, and gain exposure to how different businesses operate—all while building a powerful toolkit of skills. 

This field is appealing to ambitious professionals due to strong demand, competitive salaries, and promising career growth. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics: 

• The median annual wage for management consultants was $101,190 in May 2024.
•  Employment is projected to grow 11 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations. 

For many young professionals, consulting offers the perfect blend of variety, challenge, and growth. You'll sharpen your analytical skills, build a powerful network, and gain exposure to various industries and business models, all while accelerating your career trajectory. 

What do management consultants do? 

As a consultant, you'll be brought in to solve complex problems, improve efficiency, and guide strategic decisions. You'll work closely with leadership teams to uncover challenges, analyze data, and recommend actionable solutions that drive real results. 

Here are some of the key areas you'll focus on: 

• Strategy Development: Helping companies craft long-term plans aligned with their goals and market dynamics. 
• Operational Optimization: Improving processes to boost productivity and reduce costs.
• Financial and Organizational Analysis: Evaluating structures and performance to uncover new opportunities. 
• Change Management: Guiding smooth transitions during mergers, acquisitions, or restructuring. 
• Market Research and Benchmarking: Providing data-driven insights to inform decisions. 

How to become a consultant: What career changers need to know 

Many professionals enter consulting as career changers. Whether you're coming from education, engineering, healthcare, technology, finance, or the nonprofit sector, consulting attracts people who want to apply their skills in new ways and accelerate their growth. Firms value the diverse perspectives that career changers bring, but they also look for evidence of strong business fundamentals, analytical skills, and leadership potential. 

Your prior experience can shape the consulting projects you excel at: 

• Strategy and Operations Consulting: Apply operational insights from previous roles to improve processes and efficiency. 
• Financial and Risk Consulting: Use finance, accounting, or investment experience to guide strategic decisions. 
• Healthcare and Life Sciences Consulting: Leverage clinical or policy expertise to help organizations navigate complex industry challenges. 
• Technology and Analytics Consulting: Bring tech, engineering, or analytics skills to design solutions and drive innovation. 
• Nonprofit and Social Impact Consulting: Translate mission-driven experience into actionable strategies for growth and sustainability. 

That's where a graduate business education comes in. An MBA or specialized master's can help you bridge the gap between your prior experience and the demands of consulting, giving you the technical expertise, leadership skills, and professional network needed to compete for top roles.  

Choose a graduate business program 

A graduate business program like those offered at Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business gives you a structured, accelerated path to build the skills consulting firms demand. Whether you're coming from a non-business background or looking to sharpen your edge, D'Amore-McKim helps you bridge the gap and step confidently into the consulting world. 

Consulting is the third most common career path for full-time MBA graduates, and for good reason. MBA programs provide a powerful combination of practical business knowledge and leadership development, equipping new hires with precisely the skills that consulting firms actively seek. 

One former educator shared how her MBA provided the skills and business knowledge she needed to successfully pivot into a career in consulting. 

Given my non-business background, the faculty's commitment to helping me build comprehensive business knowledge was invaluable.

Eleanor DeMuth, MBA '24 

An MBA isn't the only route into consulting. D'Amore-McKim offers several other graduate programs tailored to different strengths and goals: 

• MS in Business Analytics – builds expertise in data-driven decision-making.
• MS in Quantitative Finance – builds expertise in quantitative analysis for the financial services industry. 
• MS in International Management– offers a global perspective on business challenges. 
• Graduate Certificates– provide a direct pathway into consulting by building targeted skills in high-demand areas like data analytics and strategic planning and can be stacked toward a master's or MBA. 

Gain essential skills 

Graduate business programs help students develop the skills consulting firms look for: 

As one MBA student put it: 

The presentation and research methodology skills I learned in consulting were integral to my success during my corporate residency.

Holland Stam, MBA'24

If you're ready to turn your aspirations into action, a graduate business degree from D'Amore-McKim can help you do it—quickly, confidently, and successfully. 

Put your knowledge and skills into practice 

When you're considering how to get into consulting, the program you choose matters. The right MBA is designed to give you hands-on experience beyond the classroom. Through experiential learning opportunities such as corporate residencies, graduate co-ops, real-world projects, and team-based problem-solving, you apply what you learn in class to real business challenges. 

As a D'Amore-McKim MBA graduate reflects,

I recommended using an analytics tool I learned about in class, and we successfully implemented it for a client. My experience as a corporate resident at Accelare was wonderful and reaffirmed my ambition to pursue a career in management consulting.

Anmol Gola, MBA'24 

For students still exploring whether consulting is the right fit, experiential learning provides clarity.

I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into. I needed to learn precisely what consulting entails.

Camille Super, MBA'22 

Choosing a consulting MBA gives you the structure, mentorship, and experience to explore the field while developing the skills that firms expect. By putting your knowledge into practice, you build confidence, strengthen your résumé, and position yourself to succeed in consulting and beyond. 

Strategically build your network 

In management consulting, your network is as important as your knowledge. Networking helps you open doors, gain insider insights, and position yourself for the right opportunities. The best time to start building that network? While you're still a student. 

The right graduate business programs will surround you with professors, classmates, alumni, and corporate partners who can support you and expand your professional network. At Northeastern's D'Amore-McKim School of Business, students gain access to a vibrant, connected community that's deeply embedded in the consulting world. 

After her residency led to a full-time role, Camille Super shared how crucial building relationships was during her experience: 

Build those connections and networks with your classmates and professors. Take advantage of your time in the program to utilize all the resources offered. Be very open, be curious, and ask any question you have.

Camille Super, MBA'22

How to stand out to future consultant employers 

In addition to coursework and networking, graduate business schools offer dedicated resources to help give students a competitive edge.  At D'Amore-McKim, the Graduate Career Center provides career coaching, resumé and interview prep, and access to consulting career opportunities. 

D'Amore-McKim students find value in these resources: 

My career advisor and the Graduate Career Center workshops helped me refine my resumé and improve my interview skills. I'm now comfortable presenting myself to stand out in this competitive job market.

Atharva Rothar, MSBA'24 

You can also gain valuable leadership experience and exposure to industry projects by joining student organizations like consulting clubs or venture accelerators. 

In addition to corporate residencies and co-ops, students can gain valuable consulting experience through student-led initiatives and hands-on projects.  

Graduate Consulting Club

Provides guidance on navigating your consulting career path, including practice interview case studies, guest speaker events, and opportunities to learn from peers, alumni, and industry professionals. 

IDEA – Student-Led Venture Accelerator

Offers support for launching a startup or becoming a coach for new businesses, giving students practical experience applying strategic consulting skills. 

360 Huntington Fund

A student-managed investment fund where participants make real-world financial decisions, develop analytical and teamwork skills, and gain experience managing a professional portfolio. 

My experience at the 360 Huntington Fund shaped my career aspirations. The Fund's focus on investing in US public equities and managing portfolio holdings inspired me to pursue a role in investment management that combines my research background with practical investment skills.

Isha Kulkarni, MS in Quantitative Finance'24

Together, these experiences highlight the benefits of experiential learning in graduate business education, showing how hands-on consulting projects and strong professional networks equip students with the skills and confidence to launch successful careers in business consulting. 

Take the first step toward your career in consulting 

Management consulting offers opportunities to accelerate your career, challenge your thinking, and make a meaningful impact across industries. But breaking into this field requires more than ambition. It requires preparation, experience, and a strong support system.  

Whether you pursue an MBA, a specialized master's, or a graduate certificate, a business degree from Northeastern's D'Amore-McKim School of Business can give you the foundation, skills, and network you need to succeed. With a focus on experiential learning and career readiness, D'Amore-McKim helps you build real consulting experience while you're still in school—so you graduate ready to lead. 

If consulting is your goal, now is the time to explore how graduate business education can help you get there. Join an attending an upcoming info session to learn about the graduate programs to help you break into consulting and take the first step toward your future.