Discovering the Difference between Consulting and Finance with Hritika Ghosh - Ep 5

This podcast features Hritika, a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and Bachelor of Laws student at UNSW, former Vice President of Consulting at 180 Degrees Consulting UNSW (180DC UNSW) and upcoming consultant at McKinsey & Company. She discusses her career journey through investment banking, private equity, and consulting, providing guidance and useful tips to students who are still navigating  their own career pathway. 

Key Takeaways:

• Hritika first found out about consulting from joining 180DC UNSW in her first year. That curiosity grew over time, driven by business exposure, problem-solving, and the ability to work closely with clients on real business issues.

• As she pursued careers in consulting, investment banking, and private equity, she experienced how each of those options can differ in practical terms and how real-world experience may be the most effective way to determine a good fit.

• Investment banking focuses on greater depth, specifically around valuation, transactional activities, and mergers & acquisitions. She found that she preferred consulting, which has a broad scope and focuses on finding solutions for a variety of business problems.

• The people-oriented aspect of consulting was a huge draw, particularly due to the collaboration aspects of working with teams, presenting ideas at client meetings, and having the ability to connect with senior-level clients early on in her career.

• She views consulting as a great long-term optionality platform, providing transferable skills and experience that will enable her to grow and learn rapidly across industries and create a lot of options for her future career development.

• Her experience in private equity was enjoyable for her due to the sense of ownership, the strategic thinking required, and the research involved. However, she notes that there are minimal graduate opportunities in private equity. 

• She advises students to avoid focusing too much on exit opportunities early and instead focus on creating experiences that provide direction and flexibility over time.

• Her advice to pre-penultimate students includes working backwards from their goals, pursuing relevant opportunities in an intentional manner, and remembering that the university experience will give them what they are willing to invest in.

• One of the biggest takeaways from her journey has been that failure is not a negative or defining moment; rather, it is a part of personal growth, building resilience, and developing grit over time.

  • ‘The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times’ – Paulo Coelho 

• If she could give advice to her younger self, she would tell herself to remain in her own lane, not compare herself to others, and to focus on being someone that is both capable and remembered positively in how she makes other people feel.