Founded in 2007, 180 Degrees Consultancy is the world’s largest student-led consultancy for non-profit and social enterprises. Having successfully completed over 5200 consultancy projects operating in more than 35 countries, we are pleased to know that 180DC now has an NITK branch. Completely student-driven, this is an initiative that tries to help social organizations reach their maximum potential, at the same time raising the next generation of social leaders. From creating long-term social impact to developing young leaders and entrepreneurs, 180DC seems like a promising new venture for NITK. On asking the 180DC NITK founders about their organization and the journey ahead, this is what they had to say:
What is the main objective of this initiative?
As students interested in pursuing management consulting and impact-oriented careers, we lacked the outlet on campus to pursue these career paths. We at 180DC NITK have adopted an impact-first approach to achieve our main objective – enabling impact-oriented career trajectories for students on campus. These are the 6 career options that we are aiming for the 180DC platform to provide for our students:
- Impact Consulting/ Management Consulting
- Impact Investing
- Product Management
- Masters in Public Policy/ Administration
- MBA
- Social Entrepreneurship”
How did the idea of setting up a NITK branch of 180 Degrees Consulting come about?
“Throughout our time at NITK, we realized that if you want to make a difference and take ownership of your career path, you have to take action. The first time we came across 180DC was on LinkedIn, and the first thought was, “Why do we not have this on campus?”. What followed was some intense networking to understand operations in other branches and the immense benefits to the branch consultants. We then went on to form a team to apply for a new branch at NITK.”
There are several consulting firms all over the world. What sets 180DC apart from the other consulting organizations?
“Every small or large organization now requires expert opinion to make managerial decisions and improve efficiency. There is a plethora of consulting firms in the world, but 180DC strictly focuses on organizations with strong social values and being a student-run organization led by an amazing global leadership team, it is an intersection of great talent and affordability. This perfect crossroad can support innovative social enterprises. “
How do you think it is going to be beneficial to the students of NITK?
“As mentioned, we think of it as a stepping stone to break into the six career trajectories we mentioned earlier. We aspire to:
- Help students take risks and break out of the cycle that confines them to strictly technical roles
- Give the necessary exposure to students to make more informed career choices
- Work in a team where you’re learning with the mindset to make a difference
- Gain real-world experience through client-facing projects.”
Being an all-student organization, how do you expect various Non-profit Organizations/Social Enterprises to rely on 180DC ‘s consulting services?
“Fair question, 180DC is a global chain of consultancy services headquartered in Sydney, with a highly selective process for branch approval across the world. After approval, 180DC provides us with the required support network and resources to ensure smooth and effective implementation. However, it’s fair to assume that students might not know the best industry practices to help organizations. Hence, we will have Industry Experts to guide us through the process. They would help:
- Run periodical quality checks for our internal activities about each project
- Train us on the best industry practices to ‘upskill’ our student consultants
- Advise us to make better decisions and think beyond the ordinary.”
Being a social impact consultancy, are there any specific areas of social change that 180DC focuses on or is more passionate about?
“As a branch, we do not want to restrict ourselves to specific social causes – we believe that diversity of projects is an excellent way for students to learn the nuances of all fields. The only criteria being meaningful impact, which happens when an individual realizes that change is a gradual process, one step at a time, from individuals to organizations and then the world!”
What is the future vision for 180DC NITK, and What does growth mean for you?
“The vision of 180DC NITK is to ultimately emerge as one of the leading branches and put NITK on the map for ‘Consultancy’, thus opening up new lucrative career opportunities for NITKians. But the goal of the hour is to provide a strong foundation and build a growth mindset among students on campus. As an organization, growth involves landing projects with huge learning potential, successfully completing high impact projects, and upskilling the team to the best of their abilities, all of which depend on individual competency!”
Hoping this new venture proves to be a very rewarding experience for all NITKians and the journey ahead for 180DC will be one of success and contentment. We look forward to seeing young minds paving the way for creating great social impact and leaving footprints of success. Pulse NITK wishes the entire 180DC team the very best!
