By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated September 2026 The boutique consulting firms worth joining share three things: a defensible niche, an alumni trail you can verify in ten minutes on LinkedIn, and pay benchmarked against MBB rather than against the local market. Economic consulting firms like Analysis Group, strategy boutiques like OC&C and…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant. Updated November 2026. The future of consulting is a shift in how the industry operates, not whether it exists. Under AI and client pressure, firms move to smaller and faster teams, value-based rather than hourly pricing, fewer entry-level hires, and a growing line of AI-strategy work. The core…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant. Updated October 2026. If you are weighing a consulting career, you have probably typed “will AI replace consultants” into Google at midnight and found two useless extremes: consulting is dead, or nothing will change. Neither helps you decide whether to bet the next few years of your life…
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Updated November 2026 · By Dr. Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant In 2027, MBB consultants in the US earn about $140,000 in total cash in their first year out of undergrad and $240,000 to $250,000 after an MBA, at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain alike. Managers make about $285,000 to $290,000, and the level just below Partner $360,000 to…
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Updated May 18, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant The most important fact about Strategy& salary is that it’s structurally separate from PwC general consulting compensation despite the shared parent. Strategy& consultants are paid 15-40% above PwC Advisory consultants at equivalent levels — a meaningful premium that exists because Strategy& competes with…
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Florian spent five years at McKinsey as a Senior Consultant and is a highly experienced consulting interviewer and problem-solving coach. Having conducted interviews with hundreds of candidates, he understands exactly what top-tier firms look for in successful applicants.
He founded StrategyCase.com to make top consulting careers more accessible by providing tailored, up-to-date insights into the recruiting process. Recognized as the most successful case and fit interview coach, Florian has helped his clients secure 700+ offers at MBB, Tier-2 firms, Big 4 consulting divisions, in-house consultancies, and boutique firms over the past four years.
He is the author of “The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview,” “The 1%: Case Interview Workbook,” and “Consulting Career Secrets”, all available on Amazon.
