Four questions with a senior manager at Bain on navigating career growth
Four questions with a senior manager at Bain on navigating career growth
A senior manager reflects on his path from engineering in Argentina to consulting in the U.S.
Joaquin Romero, a senior manager from Bain & Company’s Atlanta office, shares his unique journey from engineering to consulting. His story highlights how early international experiences, continuous learning, and a passion for problem-solving helped shape his dynamic career path.
1. How did early experiences shape your career?
At the age of 17, I moved from my medium-sized town in Argentina to Buenos Aires, where I studied industrial engineering. My first experience away from my hometown was a difficult adjustment. It was a new environment that required developing a new study schedule and trying to make new friends while being away from family. Eventually, I began to adapt and learned how to be fully independent. I also made friends who quickly became more like family, and we are still close to this day.
Fast forward, an experience of a lifetime was presented to me to participate in a six-month student exchange program in Belgium, which would not affect my grades but would delay my graduation. I decided it was worth the trade-off and embarked on my first international experience. I could honestly say that it was mind-blowing. I lived on campus, met many individuals from diverse cultures, traveled around Europe, and made more lifelong memories.
2. How did your career progress after that?
After the program ended, I returned to Argentina, got my engineering degree and took on a new role working for Toyota in performance improvement. I loved seeing how the concepts learned in school were materialized in real life, but I can honestly say that the hours were grueling. I started to think about pursuing a master’s degree in finance while working full-time. My work-life balance did not improve, but this opened more opportunities at the organization, including product management roles with more flexibility.
3. What was your journey to Bain?
After a few years, I worked in Mercado Libre and decided to continue my education and moved to the U.S. to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School. The first six months were very difficult. I was a non-native English speaker, recruiting for a job in consulting and adjusting to the case method.
It was through the MBA program that I found Bain and became a Summer Intern. Around then, the world shut down due to COVID-19, and I had to decide whether to go back to Argentina to spend the lockdown with my family. I chose to stay in the U.S., because I wanted to prioritize my relationship with my then-girlfriend and now-wife. We moved to Atlanta with her family during the pandemic and that’s where I joined Bain full-time after completing my MBA.
4. How do you reflect on your career journey so far?
Throughout my journey, I faced several important life decisions. One of the questions I like to ask myself is if you’ll regret not doing it in 10-20 years. If the answer is yes, then just go for it. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to life; it’s all about figuring things out along the way and pursuing your dreams.
