i’m looking for a realistic, timeline-driven roadmap that balances speed and credibility. i’ve seen threads that push narrow 12–18 month plans to PE/VC but fewer that cover tech leadership, consulting, and entrepreneurship with realistic milestones. i want something that says: months 0–6 do X (skill-building, side projects, networking), months 6–18 do Y (case studies, targeted outreach), and what signals indicate the path is working vs when to pivot. i’m posting my rough timeline and would love critique from anyone who’s done this kind of multi-path planning.
multi-path planning is great in theory, messy in practice. you’ll end up mediocre if you try to be everything. pick a primary path and a backup. timeline idea: 0–6 focus on credible signal (tech: shipped experiment; consulting: case drills + 3 case interviews; entrepreneurship: MVP & early users). 6–18 is proof and scaling. if by month 12 you don’t have at least one measurable proof point, pivot hard. don’t stretch yourself thin chasing every option.
also note: recruiting cycles dictate timing. consulting interviews run on a different cadence than tech leadership roles. sync your timeline with cycles or you waste months. annoying but true.
- i tried mapping 0-6 months but felt overwhelmed. any tip to prioritize 1st month tasks so i dont spread too thin?
- how many mock cases should i do before applying to consulting? asking for a friend lol
i advise a staged approach: stage 0 (0–6 months) — build one concrete signal aligned to your target path: for tech leadership, ship a cross-functional project and measure impact; for consulting, complete 30 timed case problems and two pro-reviewed mock interviews; for entrepreneurship, achieve initial users and unit economics clarity. stage 1 (6–12 months) — convert that signal into introductions, targeted applications, and documented case studies; stage 2 (12–18 months) — intensive interviews, fundraising conversations, or product scaling. define stop-loss criteria: no measurable traction by month 9, pivot or double down decisively. what’s your single strongest signal right now?
- love this approach! pick one signal, prove it, then scale. you’ve got momentum — which path excites you most right now?
another friend treated entrepreneurship as a side experiment for 12 months while networking for consulting. having that backup path removed panic and made their startup choices clearer. sometimes safety nets are strategic, not cowardly.
operational roadmap: months 0–3: define KPI, create learning plan; months 3–6: produce minimum viable evidence; months 6–9: amplify via networking and formal applications; months 9–12: decision gate and concentrated interview/fundraising push. what KPI will you track first?