Entering consulting with an open mind 

When I joined NORTH as an Analyst, I stepped into the role with curiosity more than certainty. My only glimpse into the consulting world had come from a BCG mentorship program, where I learned the frameworks and logic behind solving business cases. While it was fascinating, it only scratched the surface.

I imagined consulting as arriving at a client site with all the answers at hand. That idea was immediately challenged when I was staffed on my first project shortly after starting at NORTH. On my first day, I was a bit nervous and not sure what my contribution would be. To my surprise, I quickly found myself working alongside the client and my colleagues, challenging assumptions, exchanging ideas, poking holes, and building them back stronger. This spirit of collaboration and co-creation has been incredibly rewarding. Exchanging perspectives and shaping solutions as a team - solving problems with people, not just for them.

A new way of learning 

Moving from academia to consulting meant rewiring how I learn. At university, each course can be seen as an individual tool you borrow for a semester: learn to use it, get a grade, return it, and move on with the cycle of lectures and exams. At NORTH, learning doesn’t reset. Projects stack and provide new layers of experience and perspective. Each one adds a new tool, or sharpens an old one, in the management consulting toolbox we carry and develop from client to client. This realisation has only added more value to each individual project and task I take on and learn from.

While my studies provided a solid analytical foundation, it’s at NORTH that I’ve learned to apply and utilise it in practice truly. Structuring problems and processes, shaping communication, collaborating effectively with clients, and adapting under real-world constraints simply can’t be mastered in a classroom. This has been, and still is, a continuous journey rather than a series of new tools adopted and applied in a vacuum, and that’s incredibly motivating.

Growing in a culture of trust and collaboration 

One of the things I’ve appreciated most at NORTH is the culture of genuine collaboration. Looking back, I realise how much this has shaped not only my work but also my personal growth. Arriving with a CBS mindset — move fast, do good, compare, and keep up — I often wondered if I was doing enough, or doing it well enough. Over time, the trust and support I found at NORTH helped ease that mindset. I’ve grown more confident in my decisions, more willing to test ideas in the open, more comfortable embracing responsibility, and more at ease navigating ambiguity. Having that balance of trust, mentorship, and room to grow has made a real difference in my journey, not just at work, but personally too. I see this in the shift from entering my first project a bit nervously and hesitantly to now approaching challenges with curiosity and confidence. I realise how NORTH has taught me to speak up and to feel comfortable doing so.

Another standout in my journey at NORTH is how personal growth is allowed to look different for everyone. There isn’t a single template or trajectory to fit into; your strengths, interests, and even the things you want to improve are considered here. Each Analyst can shape their own path, creating room to experiment and figure out what kind of consultant they wish to become.

Considering the different journeys and learning experiences my colleagues and I have had, this becomes clear. I remember joining NORTH around the same time as a colleague who, from the outside, might have been considered the same “profile” as me: we studied the same master’s program, both joined NORTH as Analysts, and now we have moved into the role of Consultant together. Yet we’ve taken very different paths of growth within NORTH. While every consultant at NORTH needs the same core capabilities, our individual experiences, projects, and roles have shaped and added distinct tools to each of our personal toolboxes.

For me, that’s meant leaning into the early phases of projects: diving into unfamiliar industries, gathering insights, and making sense of moving parts. That exploratory space is where I feel most energised, and NORTH has given me the room to grow there. In that way, NORTH enables a learning path shaped by who you are, not a pre-set curriculum, and you feel seen in the process.

Equipped to step into consulting

As an Analyst at NORTH, you’re treated like a part-time Consultant, not an assistant resource or a plain slide monkey. From day one, I’ve owned real deliverables, scoped and managed my time, and seen my work land with clients. That sense of contribution is hugely motivating. Even when I’m responsible for only parts of the bigger picture, I can see the value I add, and my team counts on me to move things forward.

NORTH’s Analyst role has genuinely prepared me to step into the role of Consultant. I’ve learned to take responsibility, to narrow the scope to what matters, to manage my time and workload, and to push for clarity when the “why” or the outcome isn’t obvious. It has taught me to question assumptions and align expectations. As a result, I actively seek challenging tasks, take ownership of my development, and stand behind my work - mindsets that have been key in stepping into my new role, which, after all, doesn’t seem that foreign to me.

Looking ahead: Life as a Consultant 

Recalling my journey from my first day as a very green Analyst to being a Consultant today, I realise that the transition has been unfolding since day one. I’m stepping into the role without hesitation or anxiety because NORTH has allowed me to understand what this title means and entails. I’ve already taken part in it - just part-time and on a smaller canvas.

Nevertheless, I stay aware of what changes: more responsibility, more nuance, and greater ownership - making decisions, managing risks, and standing fully behind the outcomes I deliver. That can feel daunting, but it’s also what makes it exciting.

I’m eager to keep expanding and strengthening my toolbox: growing project management skills, sharpening my core consulting capabilities, and continuing to learn with every new challenge. There’s still so much ahead, and I feel ready to take that next step.