I am a Senior Engineer in the Budapest Studio Office. I came to McKinsey by way of the IncepTech acquisition, and I was with IncepTech since September of 2021.
I initially applied as a consultant, but during my interviews, the partners discovered I had an engineering background and that I was involved with several coding pet projects. I earned my degrees in business informatics, which offers this great pathway between engineering and business. I had worked for different companies in business analyst roles that weren’t software engineering oriented, but I had also worked as a contractor, doing app development work, and I had built data gathering and predictive analytics applications. So, rather than coming on as a consultant, I took a role as a full-time engineer.
I came into IncepTech well-versed in both the engineering and consulting worlds. I was a technologist who had sat down with clients many times, discussed their needs and goals, and helped them find the right solution. But I also actually developed those solutions. The McKinsey Digital approach to technology consulting is a perfect fit for both my skill sets and my interests.
What my fellow engineers should know about working at McKinsey
When I learned that McKinsey was acquiring IncepTech, I was a little surprised. From my university days, I knew the McKinsey name, but I was not aware of the cutting-edge technology and engineering work the firm is doing. It really is a place that attracts technologists at the top of their game.
For me, the thing that stands out most is the diversity of work. I know people at technology or software engineering firms who work on the same solutions day in and day out for years. They don’t interact with a varied tech stack. At McKinsey, the software solutions and coding language can change from client to client. The firm offers an excellent opportunity to broaden your technological knowledge, and the diversity and scope of projects keeps me motivated.
About my role
My role varies from project to project. I typically have a lot of interaction with clients and I enjoy that aspect of my job. I like discovering their needs and incorporating those needs into technical requirements. Beyond the strategy and architectural planning, I'm also involved at the later stages, when we are building the software solution and coding.
My work relies heavily on logical thinking to solve highly complex problems. We are focused on finding the correct technology, programming language, and way to design the solution. One of the reasons I like working here is because we’re not just developing based on a Jira ticket. We have space for questioning, ideation, and creativity so we can innovate and create solutions that truly help the clients.
Another piece of this is that we aren’t just building the software solutions; we are building the clients’ capabilities. That requires coaching them and helping them navigate a new direction and adopt a more agile mindset to technology development. Ultimately, we enable them to take over once we roll off the project.
A project close to my heart
Outside of my work at McKinsey, I was also a teacher, and I have taught at the secondary level and in universities. My very first project at the firm was for a university. We built a mobile application that would enable students to provide instant feedback to their professors after a class or seminar, so it empowers students to help improve the quality of their education.
It hit close to home because when I teach programming courses, I want student feedback, but it’s hard to collect. With this project, we have enabled these powerful teacher-student interactions that can drive positive changes for everyone involved. The project went live and immediately the teachers started to see that feedback come in. As a teacher, to know how useful this tool can be and then to develop it and see almost instant results, was extremely rewarding for me.
More about me
I am part of the software and cloud guild at McKinsey. McKinsey has an excellent sandbox environment, and I like to experiment with cloud platforms and assets. I am passionate about technology, so even outside of work, I am involved with coding projects, and I have done some work in aviation, chatbots, and hardware and embedded system coding. I also like experimenting with different types of technologies. When I am not involved in some tech project, I love spending time with my friends and traveling.