September was only the Beginning for the Flames Consulting Group

This past month, Flames Consulting Group has hosted multiple events introducing UIC students to the world of consulting.

Early on in September, FCG executive members started to develop curriculum for workshops and establish a better membership hierarchy. Membership sign-ups are open to all UIC undergraduate and graduate students of any majors or disciplines. One of the main benefits of becoming an FCG member is access to case studies.

Earlier this month, FCG partnered with the Undergraduate Women’s Network to host a case competition, sponsored by Accenture. Case materials have already been handed out and teams are working to create innovative solutions. Results as to who won the case competition will be out later in November.

Along with the Accenture case competition, FCG hosted the “Consultant Alumni Panel” event during the second week of September, with more than 50 students in attendance. Deloitte consultants, Hereford Johnson and Oluwakayaode Jegede, and Accenture consultants, Marc Demory and Emily Banchs, shared their experiences at UIC and how that led them to where they are today.

“On the technical side, I would recommend learning Sequel, advanced Excel, how to storyboard, and try to learn at least one visualization tool. Having competency in at least a few technical skills will make you stand out as a first-year consultant. On the soft-skill side, just be a quick learner” said Johnson.

The following week, FCG executive board members, Karina Utyuzh, Safia Ghouse, and Sundus Shafqat, hosted the “Consulting 101 Workshop.” Utyuzh, Ghouse, and Shafqat all went over the basics of consulting, the different fields and job opportunities, and how to learn more and prepare for case studies.

The last event that FCG hosted in September was the “What Does a Life as a Consultant Look Like?” Johnson returned to campus to give a more in-depth look into his career as a mergers and acquisitions strategy consultant at Deloitte Consulting.

A common theme throughout all the events this past was learning. It’s a crucial skill and mindset that everybody needs to have no matter what field they go into, and it’s also a value that Flames Consulting Group is trying to instill in these events and share with its members.

In October, FCG will be hosting more events like “Consulting in Forensic Accounting,” featuring Brad Sargent from Sargent Accounting. The Roland Berger Consulting event has also been postponed to a later date.

Thank you all so much for your continued support of Flames Consulting Group. We hope that you have enjoyed all our events and we look forward to seeing you at our next ones. This is just the beginning.