Hello Everybody,

This is a v subjective discussion but i would like to know what are the chances of me being able to change the industry/profile i was working in before my MBA and after my MBA after MBA IM from Pforzheim ?

I was into manufacturing before MBA and want to work in Management consulting (Risk Management) after MBA.

Thanks

Are you planning on working in Germany? I looked at Linkedin and it doesn't look like Pfozheim places many people in management consulting roles in the country. Instead, the top 5 business schools that management consultants identify with are these:

1. Insead
2. WHU
3. Mannheim
4. TU Munich
5. EBS

If you wanted to go into management consulting I would focus on those schools instead.

Hi Leopaari,

I think while Razors Edge's argument has its merits, it's overlooking the fact that the average class size at the schools mentioned is much bigger than Pforzheim. So if you're comparing the absolute numbers of graduates working in consultancy, Pforzheim wouldn't stand a chance.

What I could tell you is that most Pforzheim's students joined the program with the hope of changing profile/industry, and many succeed. In terms of your chances of becoming a management consultant in Germany post graduation, it really depends on a lot factors: Do you speak German? Do you have analytic skills? Are you creative? These are all important factors that would decide whether you can pass the assessment center of consulting firms.

I'll admit, if you are aiming for the top firms (McKinsey, BCG etc), you're better off getting your MBA from WHU or Mannheim. But a degree from Pforzheim should suffice to get you into the medium-sized, niche consultancies, provided your skills (language and other soft skills) are in place.

Even though average class sizes are larger at the schools I mentioned, the *relative* number of people who go into consulting, especially at the big 5 firms, is much higher for schools like Mannheim, etc. At least that's what I've taken away from my research on LinkedIn.

Don't get me wrong, I think that Pforzheim is a good school, for a specific type of candidate. But I'm not convinced that it's the best choice for the bulk of the applicants who use this forum, who tend to be international students who only speak English and who nonetheless want to transition to other countries. This kind of applicant would really benefit instead from the network and resources of an internationally-ranked MBA program like Mannheim, Insead, or ESMT.

Perhaps I would change my mind if Pforzheim published any kind of career data whatsoever, but since they don't I remain skeptical.

I think it really depends on one's career goal. If you really want to get your MBA and afterwards, work in Germany, then I think German is an essential skill you have to master at some point. I don't think I have met anyone who can not speak the local language and yet still managed to land a job in management consulting here in Germany. A lot of the clients will be German companies, and if you've ever worked as a consultant, you would know, some of the most valuable intel will be gathered from the coffee corner chitchat.

So, I guess my point is: if you only speak English and have no plan of picking up German, then you should think hard and carefully before getting an MBA from Germany. But if you plan to master the language, I believe Pforzheim is an excellent and relatively inexpensive choice.

To Razors Edge: The fact that Pforzheim does not release detailed career data also struck me as strange during my MBA program research. But later I realized, it just doesn't seem like something German institutes do (except for the few internationally-ranked ones perhaps). But based on a brochure I have at hand, their graduates from classes 11-13 seem to have gone to places like BASF, BOSCH, Daimler, Bombardier, Henkel, HSBC, KPMG, MCG Consulting, Oracle, Sandoz, SAP, Toyota, GIZ, Avantalion Consulting, etc...

Good advice.

If you want to work in Germany two things count most

1. Your previous experience in that field ( in Germany or where the geo location of that German business )

2. Your lingustics

If you want to work in risk management .. it would require you to have a detailed knowledge of several domains , legal prospective and financial insights

When you say you want to look for a particular profile it is always good to apply for a school which has an alumni base already working in the same field and the school has a good placement record. If you haven't worked in risk management earlier, it would be good to take up an internship and write a detailed thesis and then build networks of like minded people. Take up any opportunity that comes up such as working as a work student to assist on project basis. I was fortunate enough to interact with two senior professionals who were quite experienced in risk management consultants and as per them most of the projects they managed were high level projects as independent consultants and the leads were through personal contacts and word of mouth of previous clients .