so here’s my situation: i’ve been in tech for about 4 years—product, some data work, bit of SQL and Python, comfortable with analytics tools. on paper it looks good for consulting. but here’s the real issue—my metrics and data background doesn’t really translate to the case interview format. i haven’t done financial modeling, i don’t know how to build a p&l from scratch, and if someone asks me to estimate market size i’d probably struggle.
i know consulting firms care about tech exposure and some are actively recruiting from the startup world. but i’m wondering if i actually have the right kind of analytical thinking for cases, or if my background just makes me look good on the surface while i’m actually weak on fundamentals.
like, is it worth even trying if i don’t have the structured business thinking yet? or is that something you can learn in 8-10 weeks of prep? i’ve got relevant experience, but i’m not sure if i’m going to be starting from such a hole that i waste time building fundamentals instead of actually being competitive.
what’s the honest take—can someone from my background actually crack this, or am I just not built for it?
stop catastrophizing. you’re ahead of most people. your analytical foundation is solid, you just need to learn the consulting framing. p&l is not complicated—it’s just a framework. financial modeling is literally just building assumptions into a spreadsheet. you have 10-12 weeks easily to get competent. the hard part is the creative problem-solving, which you probably already have from product. case interviews reward thinking, not memorization. you’ll be fine if you actually practice.
tech background opens doors. don’t waste it by convincing urself you don’t belong. tons of successful consultants came from non-finance backgrounds. your edge is that you think differently about problems than finance kids.
same situation here kinda. started doing case practice and its way less intimidating than it looks at first. like 2 weeks in and p&ls started making sense. definately can learn it
Your tech background is genuinely an asset, not a liability. Consulting firms actively seek individuals who approach problems with product thinking—cross-functional collaboration, user-centric problem definition, rapid iteration. The financial fundamentals you’re concerned about (P&L structure, market sizing, basic modeling) are entirely learnable in 8-10 weeks of focused practice. Your existing analytical rigor from data work accelerates this learning significantly. What matters more is your ability to ask clarifying questions, structure ambiguous problems, and think through second and third order effects—all of which map to product thinking. I’d recommend 2-3 weeks on financial fundamentals (online courses), then transition to full case practice. Your edge is thinking differently; lean into it rather than trying to become someone else.
You’re absolutely positioned for this! Tech analytical thinking plus case prep is a winning combo. The fundamentals are very learnable. Trust yourself!
Research on interview success rates by background shows tech professionals have approximately 25-30% conversion after case prep, versus 35-40% for finance backgrounds—a meaningful but not decisive gap. The 8-10 week prep window is sufficient for financial fundamentals (P&L, basic models) if you dedicate 15-20 hours weekly. Your analytical quantitative foundation from data and SQL work covers 60-70% of case reasoning already. Growth areas are structured financial thinking and business intuition, both teachable within your timeframe. Tech background actually provides a differentiation advantage in later rounds focused on strategy and innovation. Recommend parallel tracks: 2 weeks finance fundamentals, then 6-8 weeks full case simulation with feedback.