Today, I talk with Kelly — a former BCG Project Leader who worked at Goldman Sachs and BCG before walking away at 25 after managing teams most people don't lead until their mid-30s. We dive into the strategies that helped her break into elite consulting: from leveraging coffee chats to land accelerated offers, to the communication frameworks and interview techniques that separate candidates who get hired from those who don't. We also break down what management consulting actually is, how AI is reshaping the industry, what it's really like working 60+ hour weeks with hourly deadlines, and why software engineers should consider consulting as a career path. If you're a CS student, software engineer, or anyone looking to accelerate their tech career through networking, interviewing, and strategic positioning, this episode of the SWE Accelerator Podcast is a must-listen.Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉  https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=BCGConsultant_SWEOutsmart_TechRecession&video=Cnt9ljDyUdU🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazirListen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir—⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 – Intro 01:18 – Kelly's Background: From Canada to Goldman Sachs04:03 – What is Management Consulting? Breaking Down BCG05:54 – Types of Companies Consulting Firms Work With06:54 – Can Anyone Get Into Consulting? Background Requirements07:58 – Why Computer Science Majors Should Consider Consulting10:00 – AI's Impact on the Consulting Job Market12:59 – Software Engineering Accelerator 13:53 – How Consulting Projects Actually Work (Entry-Level Perspective)16:35 – ChatGPT Deep Research & The Future of Consulting Work17:58 – Day in the Life of a Consultant21:09 – The Reality of 55-70 Hour Work Weeks23:25 – Hourly Deadlines & Same-Day Delivery Culture24:51 – Managing 1000s of Messages Per Day as a Consultant26:30 – Managing a Team at 25: Kelly's Fast-Track Promotion Story28:22 – What is a Coffee Chat? (Definition for Tech/SWE Students)30:19 – Coffee Chats: The "LeetCode" of Networking for Consultants34:59 – Why SWE Students Are Under-Utilizing Coffee Chats35:49 – How to Stand Out to Hiring Managers (From Someone Who Interviewed 200+ Candidates)37:27 – Tactics to Maximize Your Coffee Chats40:04 – Making People Feel Like Experts: The Interview Approach42:09 – Networking for People Who Hate Small Talk44:12 – How to Ask Smart Questions Even When You're Lost46:55 – What Separates Candidates Who Get Offers from Those Who Don't49:09 – The STAR Method: Common Mistakes to Avoid50:37 – Beyond STAR: Adding Impact & Philosophy to Interview Answers52:44 – Communication Frameworks Consultants Use (That SWE Students Should Learn)55:07 – Zoom Out, Zoom In, Zoom Forward Framework58:31 – What Do You Think About Quiet Quitting?58:53 – The Great Lock-In: Gen Z's Shift from Quiet Quitting to Locking In1:00:43 – Gen Z in the Workforce: A Millennial's Perspective1:02:15 – Millennials vs Gen Z: Different Approaches to Work & Rules1:04:42 – Social Media's Impact on Generational Work Styles1:05:52 – Advice for Burnt-Out 22-Year-Old Software Engineers1:08:57 – Where to Connect with Kelly (Sunday Chats on Instagram)1:09:40 – Outro

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