As a former engineering student, I'm always asked by people, besides the classic "why consulting" question, what my engineering background can help with consulting.

The answers to those two questions are related. Back in school when I studied engineering, I was taught how to analyze complex technical problems. The process and approach to tackling the technical problems are similar to the methods used in analyzing business issues. Both emphasize structure and logic, as well as the ability to decompose a complex issue into a series of more actionable sub-questions. (Indeed, the structure of a consulting project is quite similar to that of a well-written computer program.) I enjoy this process, and I enjoy it even more when I apply it to real-world business issues that have tangible impacts rather than academic or technical challenges whose results may not be put into real-world applications. That's why consulting seems to be the perfect fit for would-be engineers: you tackle complex problems that are mentally challenging, and you get results and impacts that are more often than not, clearly measurable.

At Monitor, I have been fortunate enough to work on a string of interesting cases so far. My first case involved the complete strategy of a multi-national corporation in China, and it has allowed me to understand the various elements of a business. Through this project I was also able to see for myself just how fast China is developing – you only need to take a look at the speed that retail is evolving to find out. My second case was in Southeast Asia, working on telecommunications. This case gave me the chance to see telecom from a business perspective, instead of the technical angle that I was used to back in school. If anything, the case has taught me a lot about technology and innovation (which I didn't fully understand back in school), and most importantly, why "invention" does not equal "innovation."

Of course, as an engineering student, one of the first things you learn is that there are trade-offs, and in consulting there are many. Most noticeable are the high level of pressure of the work and the occasional loss of sleep. It's quite challenging at times, but at the end of the day I often feel that it's worth it after all. The effort that we put in and the results that we achieve make it worthwhile—and then we look forward to the next challenge.