Consultant Began Career Prep in His 2nd Year

Name: Tyler Ogorek (he/him)

PhD: Chemistry, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024

What was your main area of research?

My PhD work involved investigations in both medicinal and organic chemistry.

What is your current job?

I am a Consultant at Bain & Company in Chicago, Illinois.

I am a generalist strategy consultant assisting corporate clients in solving challenging problems across all industries and capabilities.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

The best things about my job are the compensation, impact, work-from-home (WFH) flexibility, and good benefits.

What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had during your PhD that now helps you in your current position?

Presentation skills

How did you build the skills necessary for your current role?

I attended summer programs (e.g. ADvantage, Bridge to BCG, Link to LEK, etc) to get interviews and participated in consulting clubs to prepare for interviews.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

I found this position through consulting clubs.

PhD graduate ➡️ consultant

If someone is interested in a similar role, what would you recommend they start doing now to prepare?

Prepare for case interviews with individuals in consulting clubs (e.g. consulting club at the Texas Medical Center - which accepts students from all across the US).

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

This was an easy decision. I left primarily because of the higher compensation possible in industry.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

Begin preparing for the career transition early - I began building my business-side-of-science resume experiences in my second year.