Should son forego 5th year for Mckinsey job?

This sounds like being an LRC regular but receiving a big paycheck for their efforts.

Consulting: if you're not part of the solution, there's good money to be made prolonging the problem.

With the Covid year exception, college athletes are hanging around for 5 and 6 years, and longer in some cases. Time to grow up and get a job.

Assuming he's graduating, then I say he should stay for the extra year and get a master's degree (going back to school after the fact is rough). If they want him now, Mckinsey will want him a year from now with even more knowledge. If he leaves he'll always be wondering what could have been. He'll be working for the next 45 years of his life. Maybe he can go back to Mckinsey this summer for another intern/part time position

This is so accurate. I worked for a similar company and it was exactly this. Those 25 year olds know nothing about the real world.

And the thing I remember most vividly is that their "findings and paths forward" could have fit on two pages. But the powerpoint was 50 slides and took two hours.

70-90 hrs/wk or 70-90 miles+ a week.

If they are near/at their peak, consulting (even McK) will still be there.

Management consulting? What the hell is that? I'd rather stab myself in the eye.

I was nowhere near as good as your son, so this may not be relevant - I decided to forgo my fifth year and never really regretted it. While I was fit, I got to dabble in other activities that I had missed out on over the past 4 years.

My advice would be to stay in school. unless the economy totally tanks in the next 12 months the job will still be there. Getting a masters in the extra yearwould be a big plus long term.

McKinsey will likely let him formally defer but even if thwy don’t he can reapply and will probably get hired again. If he was smart enough to get an offer at McKinsey he will be abke to get offers at similar companies.

i am not going to speak to the merits of McKinsey but if your son is at all technical I’d look at using the extra year to take courses relevant to AI, he can use that in consulting or pivot to tech.

Your son's an adult. Time to land the helicopter.

I was at a similar level to your son (a bit slower, but pre-supershoes!), and weighing a couple of opportunities in investment banking and consulting (McK). I decided to run for the year.

The outcome: I didn't end up getting any faster, but I had fun. And at the end of the year, I decided to pursue other career options (via grad school). I'm happy with the way things turned out. That said, I guess the one piece of advice I'd have for your son is: only pursue the running if you think you'll be happy with the decision regardless of how the year turns out. Journey not destination and all that. If taking the year to pursue running will feel like a waste if you don't make All-American or whatever, that's setting yourself up for disappointment.

Great advice

As a former college distance runner AND former consultant, definitely run for another year. Professional services firms, while lucrative for some, are often breeding grounds for mediocrity and they will still be there when he’s done running. He’ll never get another chance to run collegiately.

deferring seems like a no-brainer. good luck!

Dad, without revealing the school can you name the conference he competes in.

After this year he will never get another opportunity of college athletics. This is one last shot at college athletics. He will have the whole rest of his life to work an anonymous job.

McCurdey will understand.

Considering I turned over couch cushions for coins by June after undergrad (that bought $0.50 cokes and $0.53 day old bread at Jimmy Johns) I would take that job, strike the grid iron while hot. With a job like that as his first position, if he makes the grade, he can earn $1M+ more earnings than most of his same aged peers.

Those times are great but at best he get's an Olympic Trials qualifier. I was in a similar boat with the 10000 and marathon.

when i was applying to college i visited and put in for places only really my parents wanted. here, fine, i tried. then applied where i wanted. you get in their idea, rubber hits the road. you have a decision to make. ok, this was their idea, not what i want, so what if i got accepted. you can go there if you want. i want x or y. but from the parents' perspective, my son got in z, what decision should he make?

likewise, with grad school applications out, i went through senior recruiting, turned in resumes, did interviews, etc. didn't like what i netted out of it, follow through on grad school.

almost out of grad school, apply for gigs, including some that don't fit my vibe. get an offer in a non-vibe field. ok, what do i think of this. nah, no thank you. soon after get an offer up my alley.

to me it is sometimes clarifying to do this. since this is dad talking here, we don't know what son's priorities are. is dad pushing mckinsey? did mckinsey encourage this? what does junior believe.

the nature of college sports is often to leave unfinished business. we are driven accomplished people who still think we could have done better. nor can you assume that more school means a faster time. i would consider it more if you feel like you got screwed out of a senior year punctuation, not because of the goals unmet. if you feel punctuated, 4 years is plenty.

also, re expense, if it's near free, funded program or good financial aid, sure, if it's on your card, it's doubling down at expense. if the grad degree results in the job he really wants, fine. if all you do is end up back with a mckinsey offer, meh.

I'd suggest probably take the job. ...But even with the internship and job offer, understand that McKinsey, just like all big consulting firms, have regular layoffs and the bigger the company, just another cog in the system. Your son will get great experience and be immune from layoffs for a few years but all levels of jobs, management, senior and junior are experiencing layoffs, even very good employees. If he loves NCAA running, he may consider keeping running and get the next level of degree to help his career. Win win either way for now. But the future is always unclear and you only get one opportunity to run in the NCAA then it's gone.

I would think the offer would extend into next year.

Not even a question/choice, take the goddamn job!

I just don't get the griping. The top consulting firms pay very well. Roughly $200k, $250k, $300k for years 1-3. Yes, it's tough but you are surrounded by like minded bright hard working folks.

If you are asked to leave, there is even outplacement help and you are forever part of that firm's alumni network.

I've yet to hear of the top mgt consultant layoff not doing real well afterward. Corporations understand that McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Booz etc only hire from top 10% of graduating class, and they see you as pre-screened if you have that experience on your resume.

If you are bright and achieving enough to attend good school x, and be hired by consulting firm y, you certainly have the skills to get by in the rest of your life.