When the fall rolls around at Fuqua, recruiting season kicks off immediately. In some cases, recruiting begins even before classes. We were in the thick of it, and each of us was going to have to make career-defining decisions very soon. Luckily, I had a plan. When I applied to school, I intended to pivot in my career and break into consulting.

Before coming to school, I did my research, had coffee chats with current and former consultants, and participated in consulting pre-MBA programs. I was sure consulting was what I wanted to do. So, when recruiting began in the fall, I stuck to my plan and started working to make it happen.

Career Exploration in My First Year

While I was certain about pursuing consulting, I also realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about many different industries in an environment where I could realistically pursue a career in any of them. Because of this, I attended presentations from multiple professional clubs and many different companies in various industries.

Reflecting on that period, I am glad I explored the various opportunities Fuqua offers, though it somewhat muddied my focus. Even though I was spending most of my time recruiting for consulting, I wondered if I was making the right decision. For the first time since I began studying for the GMAT, I wasn’t confident in my plan.

Near the end of the second fall term, I decided to participate in the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum (FCCP). I thought it would be a good way to alleviate any doubts I had about making the right career choice, and that’s exactly what happened. FCCP reignited my desire to become a consultant.

Gaining Confidence with FCCP

My team worked on a project with a small private health care provider in Africa focused on a very specific subset of the population. The client’s initial ask was more than we could accomplish in the 12-week timeframe we had, so we worked closely with them to define an attainable project scope. We settled on developing a strategy to maintain their growth trajectory, with the goal of increasing their revenue fivefold over the next three years. We also built a financial model that the client could use even after the project ended.

Undertaking this lofty goal required our team to work together, leveraging our unique skill sets and experience from our former careers to deliver for our client. We had to:

• Be agile as we uncovered new information that reshaped the problem we were facing
• Learn on the fly as many of us worked outside of the United States for the first time
• Communicate effectively to ensure our team and the client remained on the same page as we progressed our individual workstreams
• Hold each other accountable as we worked to meet project deadlines

Through teamwork and guidance from Professor Jim Emery, we were able to deliver for our client. The client was so happy with our work that we met with potential investors to discuss the results of our project.

Reflecting on my journey during my first year at Fuqua, I am grateful for the experiences and opportunities that challenged me and shaped my career path. FCCP was a pivotal part of this journey, offering both practical experience and validation of my career aspirations.