Sarah
Associate Principal
I joined McKinsey in 2004 as a business analyst—though not as part of a grand plan to become a consultant. I just happened to like the people I met who worked at McKinsey, they apparently enjoyed the work, and this seemed like an interesting place to spend time while I worked out what my 'real job' was going to be!
One of the best things about McKinsey is that we are all on the same team—there’s a huge emphasis on helping others learn and improve.
As a business analyst I did a bit of everything: strategy for a petroleum company, operational improvement in telecoms, marketing for a logistics company, and more. My suspicions about McKinsey were confirmed: people I liked, work I enjoyed, and a place where I never stopped learning new things. There is no opportunity to get bored.
After two years as a business analyst trying out these various things, I was no closer to working out what the 'real job' should be. A lot of different doors were open and McKinsey is very good at helping you think through the options and finding the right people for you to talk to—whether you are thinking about going to business school, moving to a different McKinsey office, starting your own company, spending a year working in India, or looking for a job in high finance. My colleagues did all of those things, with many planning to return to McKinsey afterward.
I chose to do a master’s in economics (which McKinsey sponsored), partly because the opportunity to take a year to explore something different seemed too good to pass up. Since I returned some things have changed—I’ve begun to specialise in retail, and also to manage projects and teams—but the things that kept me here have remained the same; I still feel as though I am learning more than I can anywhere else, and doing more interesting and varied work.
One of the best things about McKinsey is that we are all on the same team—there’s a huge emphasis on helping others learn and improve. I’m amazed at how much time people are prepared to spend with you, either sharing their knowledge on a particular industry, or just talking through your challenges with a task or project. And the flip side of all that help is you get to spend your time helping others—not just colleagues but clients. There’s a buzz that comes from knowing that what you’re doing is really making a difference to the people and organisations that you are working with.