When I was young I was the kind of kid who buys parts on the internet and builds his own computer. Before I even went to university I started a business programming educational software for schools. While I was a student I set up my second business as a cross-border reseller, renting server space in Germany and marketing it to users in Switzerland. Then I moved into virtual server systems, offering small companies affordable dedicated space in a data center.
When I started to plan the next step in my career, I thought I might apply to an operations-focused consultancy. Then I met a McKinsey director at a recruiting event who told me about the Business Technology Practice. A consultant gave me a call and I sent in my application the same day.
Making up my mind
Joining as an intern seemed like an easy way to try consultancy and find out what I enjoyed. Most people stay for up to 12 weeks; I was here for five months! I originally thought I’d focus exclusively on technology, but when I started to explore other topics I discovered they were interesting too. Even at the beginning I was encouraged to bring my own way of thinking to a project, develop solutions with the client, and manage my own strands of the work. The chance to prove yourself early on was what made me want to stay here.
Many interns go back to university afterwards to do a masters degree, but I decided not to. I’d always wanted to use technology to achieve things in the real world, and once I’d tasted the excitement of hands-on practical work, reading about theory lost its appeal. Instead I joined McKinsey as a business analyst. I plan to build up more experience over the next couple of years and then apply for my MBA.
Being in the Business Technology Practice
The people in our practice have a reputation as the cool guys of the firm. We have a good time socially as well as in the office. Our work has a strong global orientation, and so do our training programs: in less than a year I’ve been to two courses in the US, where I met really smart and interesting people from all over the world.
In Switzerland, the Business Technology Practice takes on all kinds of projects involving technology, not just specialized IT-based tasks like optimizing a data center. And being in the practice doesn’t mean you can’t tackle other topics: I’ve been on teams working on merger management, strategy, and operations for telecom companies and a retail chain, so I get plenty of breadth.
If I had to choose the one thing I find most exciting about working here, it would be the interaction with clients. I don’t work alone in a darkened room; I work with the client, and together we build a solution.