Which is best for consulting?

Hi,

just wanted to get peoples' opinions on which it is the best to do (as a second year undergrad) if I have to chose one.

a) get a job (bearing in mind the limited types of jobs one is eligible for with only one year of uni experience)
b) learn a new language (i.e. german, russian, arabic, french etc.)
c) anything else? (suggestions?)

from a consulting point of view of course. To me it seems that learning a new language is much better in the long run but how will a consulting firm see the matter?

cheers

 
F. Ro Jo:
you'll never learn a language well enough.

I disagree. There's no doubt that you won't master a language in 2 or 3 years time but if you pick up some conversational skills that will benefit you in the long run. At the very least, you will show businesses that you are a well rounded individual. Just don't pick a tough language like Arabic or Mandarin and expect to learn anything if you're not dedicated.

 
mdk0102:
F. Ro Jo:
you'll never learn a language well enough.

I disagree. There's no doubt that you won't master a language in 2 or 3 years time but if you pick up some conversational skills that will benefit you in the long run. At the very least, you will show businesses that you are a well rounded individual. Just don't pick a tough language like Arabic or Mandarin and expect to learn anything if you're not dedicated.

It's a worthwhile pursuit to learn a language, but it will add zero value to his CV until it's business fluent.

 
PorcineAviation:
mdk0102:
F. Ro Jo:
you'll never learn a language well enough.

I disagree. There's no doubt that you won't master a language in 2 or 3 years time but if you pick up some conversational skills that will benefit you in the long run. At the very least, you will show businesses that you are a well rounded individual. Just don't pick a tough language like Arabic or Mandarin and expect to learn anything if you're not dedicated.

It's a worthwhile pursuit to learn a language, but it will add zero value to his CV until it's business fluent.

this is what I've been sort of suspecting and really dreading. the key difference, I guess, is that getting a job will add some value to my CV immediately... therein lies the dilemma.

 
Best Response
PorcineAviation:
mdk0102:
F. Ro Jo:
you'll never learn a language well enough.

I disagree. There's no doubt that you won't master a language in 2 or 3 years time but if you pick up some conversational skills that will benefit you in the long run. At the very least, you will show businesses that you are a well rounded individual. Just don't pick a tough language like Arabic or Mandarin and expect to learn anything if you're not dedicated.

It's a worthwhile pursuit to learn a language, but it will add zero value to his CV until it's business fluent.

I don't totally agree with this. Taking 4 semesters of Chinese will do little to help you become business conversant in a language, but if you show a long history and dedication to a language (IE pursuing a major in a language, studying abroad, etc) it can really help build your "story" when talking to recruiters. I have taken German for a number of years and am far from fluent, but have studied in Europe long-term on two separate occasions and can hold intelligent conversations with people. Will I ever use the language in a business context? I certainly hope not for my sake, but it has definitely helped me stand out when people look at my resume.

 

yea but i'm just scared that a future employer might say:

"what the hell, this is crap, you should have been working all this time!" (not planning to go without a job for 3 years ofc but maybe 1 or 1 and a half years and then combine it with language studies)

 

Nam dolor est sapiente saepe nihil aperiam. Nam excepturi molestiae dolores molestias consequuntur. Atque ea dignissimos ipsa et.

Earum minus sit distinctio vero repudiandae. Alias aut necessitatibus similique dicta sed sint. Dolore aut suscipit eveniet commodi voluptas. Ut laborum reprehenderit rerum reprehenderit in.

Magni sit occaecati suscipit eaque velit corrupti. Veritatis commodi deleniti vel enim. Facere earum vel quasi veritatis laudantium. Illum temporibus in est.

Explicabo possimus non delectus et quia molestiae. Dolorem qui cum animi enim repellendus voluptatem architecto. Dolorem consequatur qui enim facere id. Et labore dolore quod et cupiditate eligendi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • Cornerstone Research 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.7%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $368
  • Principal (25) $277
  • Director/MD (55) $270
  • Vice President (47) $246
  • Engagement Manager (100) $226
  • Manager (152) $170
  • 2nd Year Associate (158) $140
  • Senior Consultant (331) $130
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (108) $130
  • Consultant (588) $119
  • 1st Year Associate (539) $119
  • NA (15) $119
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (146) $115
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (345) $103
  • Associate Consultant (166) $98
  • 1st Year Analyst (1049) $87
  • Intern/Summer Associate (190) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (552) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”