"How is work different from school?" This question naturally interested me after graduation. According to the rumours I had heard, at work you should always wear a suit, try not to be late, and keep on your boss’s good side. It didn’t sound complicated, but didn’t seem challenging either!
 
Many surprises awaited me when I joined BCG, however. It turned out that you could come to the office in jeans, that you were mostly free to determine your own schedule, and that, in fact, debates with management on professional topics were encouraged. Most interestingly, I found that people who come to work at BCG actually hope to continue studying and learning as they work—always!

The people I found would complain of boredom if they got another project in a familiar industry, while their eyes glittered with excitement when they were given a week to understand the structure of the Russian aviation industry. They relish discoveries and insights. At unexpected moments, with an almost childish directness, they might suddenly ask, "interesting, and why does it work like that?"  My colleagues keep an eye on their learning curves and areas of personal development much more than on the fluctuation of the dollar exchange rate. Moreover, these are the people who keep learning in their free time. A consultant sitting next to me does ballroom dancing, our finance guru embroiders Monet paintings, a mathematician reads Tocqueville—and an oil expert can tell you not only the price, but also the history, of any wine.

Surrounded by such colleagues, you understand and appreciate that working at BCG means not the end of your education, but rather just the beginning. In my calendar today I have project slides, virtual training in "The Future of Advertising", and Spanish. What can you do? You have to keep up!