Kartik Pal shares his journey from GeoPhysics Engineer to Management Consultant at AT Kearney

My journey to B-School was quite unexpected. I always knew that I wanted to pursue an MBA at some point in life. Unsure of how and when I actually wanted to pursue my post graduation, I decided to grab a job in the final semester of my graduation at IIT Kharagpur. 

How I got infected by the Management Consultant bug?

I was really passionate about exploring a career in management consulting. Hence, I decided to apply for consultant positions while sitting for final placements.

Many people questioned me about the choice of job I was opting for. But it wasn’t some specific day or time when I decided that this will be my field of work. It instead happened over a period of time, mostly by the process of elimination. 

Research work led to the process of elimination

I had pursued research in my core field (geophysics) back in my second year. I liked the work but the pace of work was slow and self-driven. This did not appeal to me because I was looking for faster growth opportunities. I then tried working in a technical consultancy role, providing geophysical services to external clients. I liked the work, had good growth opportunities and really liked the overall environment.

Breakthrough your limits and expand your horizon

But not wanting to limit myself to the technical field only and still wanting to pursue a career in consulting, I sought recommendations from seniors and friends working in the industry. I realized that the industry offered more or less everything I wanted along with some good exit options in case I wanted to opt out of it.

I then applied for numerous pre-MBA positions offered by leading management consulting firms. However, I didn’t land any and ended up working in a conglomerate.

Eyes set on target and all hands on deck

To not hinder my chances of getting into a B-school because of my technical experience, I decided to leave my job and apply for CAT. That's how I landed at IIM Ahmedabad.

The moment I reached the sacred havens of the Indian Institute of Management, I was spellbound. I was about to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with perhaps the best folks from every walk of life. I knew that there will be people better than me and that there was no point cribbing about it. That's what life is all about, after all. You need to make the best of whatever you have. 

How I finally acquired the coveted Management Consultant at AT Kearney?

I wanted to do Management Consulting. There were plenty of summer internship opportunities and the probability of landing a PPO was much more than sitting for final placements and grabbing a job then. This was perhaps the moment where the 'spark' ignited and I knew that I needed to follow this path in order to succeed. I landed with the offer for the role of management consultant at AT Kearney.

Thus, began the process of countless CV reviews, case interview preparations, handling calls and the practice of interacting with firms. I think this 3 month period is what transformed me. It made me realize what all I can achieve if I pushed my boundaries. To sum up, I think, whatever happens, happens for the best. So, have faith and make the best of every opportunity.