Students demonstrated their interest in consulting at a discussion hosted by the Consulting Club on Tuesday night, in which two Dartmouth alumni, both associates at the Boston Consulting Group, spoke to a large crowd about their job. Over fifty curious students learned about consulting from Mukund Bhaskar '06 and Kelly Cameron '04 Th'05, who described their diverse experiences at BCG.
Bhaskar and Cameron, who have spent one and two years at BCG, respectively, answered a variety of questions about their work and discussed the dynamic work environment and the job flexibility that consulting offers.
"You can always go from consulting to something else," Bhaskar said, "but the other way around is much more difficult."
Consulting, the two explained, means working with clients on areas such as finances, retail and management. Bhaskar, who double majored in economics and engineering, described his projects involving industrial goods, while Cameron, an engineering major, spoke of her work with companies looking to expand in developing countries.
Students who were concerned that only economics majors or math geniuses get jobs in consulting were quickly assured that the most important qualities in a potential consultant are the ability to think creatively and to be intellectually curious.
Long hours and a heavy workload, however, are not uncommon.
Both alumni said they have experienced 70-hour workweeks. Besides their ability to provide solutions to the multifarious problems of the industrial world, the alumni also cited their Dartmouth education as an essential part of their success as consultants.
"A liberal arts education gives you a much broader background than business school," Bhaskar said. "It allows you to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions."
Cameron added that the passion that Dartmouth students have for activities other than schoolwork is very important to their success in the work force.
The Consulting Club, which was started last year by John Ballard '07, currently boasts about 50 members.
Given the large attendance, the club plans to work with Career Services to give students the opportunity to practice case study interviews, an important skill for recruiting, in roughly a week.
Beginning Monday, over 50 companies will descend upon Hanover to recruit students.
