Common post-MBA consulting exits include corporate strategy, business operations, product or general management, private-equity portfolio roles, startups and internal transformation positions.

Your best exits depend heavily on the projects you do, the industries you build credibility in and the level at which you leave. A consultant with repeated healthcare work will have a different opportunity set from someone focused on consumer or tech.

Some people use consulting to keep options open, but optionality is not automatic. You still need to build a coherent story around the problems you solved, the teams you led and the sectors you understand.

If you already know the type of role you may want later, use that information when choosing office, practice and staffing opportunities. Consulting can widen your options, but deliberate experience-building makes those options stronger.

My classmates exited into everything from strategy to startups, but the strongest moves usually matched their project history.