Jasmine Talks Business

What Actually Helped Me Get Into McKinsey

I do not think I got into McKinsey because I had a perfect resume.

Of course, you need a strong enough baseline.

But what really helped came down to 3 things:

Storytelling
Case prep
Communication and coachability under pressure

McKinsey was not looking for someone who already knew everything.

They were looking for someone who could think clearly, communicate well, learn fast, and grow under pressure.

Comment “McKinsey” if you want more MBB recruiting tips.

Networking Doesn’t Have to be Awkward if you Follow These 3 Tips

I used to hate networking.

It felt awkward, forced, and honestly kind of painful.
But when you are recruiting, looking for referrals, or considering a career pivot, it matters.

What helped me most:
-Make your message specific
-Reach out before it is urgent
-Ask for a referral, but give people other ways to help too

Networking may never be your favorite thing.
But it can become a lot less painful and a lot more effective.

Comment “networking” if you want me to share message templates.

My Consulting vs Tech Resume

The resume that got me into McKinsey was not the same resume that helped me exit into tech.

For consulting, my resume had to prove potential: strong academics, leadership, fast learning, structured thinking, and client readiness.

For tech, it had to prove impact: messy data, cross-functional work, process improvement, and business operations.

Consulting resume = prove potential
Tech resume = prove impact

If you want to see the actual resume structure I used for my McKinsey application and my post-McKinsey tech exit, comment “resume.”

What I Miss and Don’t Miss About Consulting

I miss being surrounded by very smart, driven people.
I miss the learning curve.
I miss the exposure to different industries, companies, and leadership teams.
I even miss some of the travel, at least the fun parts.

But there’s more things that I do not miss

I do not miss the constant urgency.

I do not miss the unpredictable hours.
I do not miss spending hours aligning stakeholders.
I do not miss feeling like work was slowly becoming my whole identity.

Consulting gave me a lot.

It shaped how I think, communicate, and handle pressure.

But leaving gave me space to rebuild my energy, routines, health, and direction outside of work.

So no, I do not regret going into consulting.

But I also do not regret leaving.

Stop managing time, start managing energy

Time is fixed, but energy can be allocated.
During work, I protect my best focus for my corporate role.

Outside of work, I use low-friction moments for small business-building tasks: replying to global partners, thinking through content ideas, taking one call, or improving one small system.

The right side income should not consume your life.
It should fit into your life, and ideally, upgrade it.

If you are interested in finding a side income opportunity that fits into a balanced 5-to-9 lifestyle, comment “START.”

Why fully remote changed my 5-to-9

In a traditional office job, your day starts before you even begin working. Getting ready, commuting, sitting in traffic, grabbing coffee, making small talk, all of that takes time and energy.

Fully remote changed that for me.
It did not just give me back hours. It gave me back energy.

After work, I am not spending time commuting home or recovering from office logistics. I still have the mental bandwidth to learn, create, build systems, take calls, and explore business opportunities.

In 2026, a "secure" job is the most dangerous?

For a long time, we were taught that career stability meant getting into a good company, a safe industry, or a reliable role.

But today, companies are not just asking whether a role is useful. They are asking whether the work can be automated, outsourced, consolidated, or done with fewer people.

The risk is not always that your job disappears overnight. Sometimes your team gets smaller, your workload gets heavier, your promotion timeline slows down, or your role gets merged into something else.

That is why I do not think true security comes from one paycheck anymore.

Your job can be your foundation, but it should not be your entire safety net.

If you are interested in finding a side income opportunity that helps build that second layer of security, comment “START.”

What $120K Really Looks Like in Toronto

A lot of people hear a "$120K salary" and assume you're doing very well, but in Toronto the reality can look very different.
Here's a simple breakdown:

Salary: $120,000
Take-home pay after taxes in Ontario is roughly $81,000 per year, or about $6,800 per month.

Typical monthly expenses can easily include:
Rent: $2,300–$2,500
Utilities, phone, insurance
Food and dining
Transportation
Gym, social life, travel

That can add up to roughly $5,300 per month, leaving about $1,500 per month to save or invest.

That was my biggest realization. Building wealth is not just about getting better investment returns. It is also about how much capital you can consistently invest in the first place.

When salary is your only income stream, there is often a limit to how quickly you can grow your wealth. That is why more people are exploring side hustles, personal brands, and online businesses.

It is not necessarily because they are underpaid. For many people, the cost of living has simply been rising faster than income.

Do you think CAD $120K is considered wealthy in Toronto? 👇

Ex-McKinsey: Top 3 exit paths for consultants

Hitting two years in management consulting, everyone talks about exit opportunities I researched alumni, consulted a career coach and reviewed LinkedIn profiles to sum up three common exit tracks:

-Strategy & Ops mirrors consulting work, focusing on business strategy and operational optimization
-PM roles have grown more competitive, most tech companies require prior PM experience
-Chief of Staff is a versatile generalist role, junior consultants can only join startups while big firms demand 5 to 8 years of relevant experience

I landed Strategy & Ops at an adtech firm for balanced growth, personal interest and WLB This role freed up my energy to build a side business for more flexibility and options

AI is rewriting careers , so I’m building a backup plan

The reality today is that no job feels completely stable anymore.

I have seen people around me go through layoffs and role changes. Even during my time in consulting, I remember conversations about whether AI could help teams do the same work with fewer people.

That made me realize something important:
If your entire sense of stability depends on one paycheck, you are more exposed to the shifts happening around us.

This does not mean you need to quit your job or rush into entrepreneurship.

But while you still have stable income, it makes sense to start building another option.

The key is choosing the right kind of side business: something that is not easily replaced, has room to grow, and fits the life you are trying to build.

If you are a young professional interested in exploring side business ideas, comment “START.”