MBA now or later (career-switcher)

I would appreciate some advices from fellow primates. Now is still not the best time for career-switcher going for IB.

I have a non-finance (science) degree and only one year of non-finance work experience. I have two options:

1) I am about to start unpaid boutique IB/PE internships --> continue on this path and go for 2-3 years as boutique/MM IB analyst --> then do top 5 MBA.

2) Just apply for top 5 MBA now and hit the re-set button, going in with zero pre-MBA finance experience.

My stats: Top 10 UG, UGPA 3.5, GMAT 750+,
Thanks.

 

MBA now will be a tough sell when you go to interview with banks, and your competition will blow your experience out of the water. I write from experience, when interviewing someone with little experience it is hard for them to answer the basic question of "why investment banking as a career path?" which is the question for Associates. Whereas for Analysts we understand that it's a 2-3 year step.

Remember, the recruiting process is not just about you, it's about you and how you compare to the other students interviewing from your school. Oh yeah, getting into a top MBA program may be tough with no experience.

Stick with whatever you got for now, grad school once you've got a couple years under your belt.

Best of luck.

Professional Bro, J. Cans
 

I agree that I need to match the potential competition post-MBA.

How come everyone age 30 and up are telling me to just go for MBA now? Are they just being lazy and basing their advice on pre-2007 hiring climate?

 
elttaes2010:
I agree that I need to match the potential competition post-MBA.

How come everyone age 30 and up are telling me to just go for MBA now? Are they just being lazy and basing their advice on pre-2007 hiring climate?

I'm in your shoes too bud. I won't start an MBA until I'm 31. Some of us don't get started until a little later in life. No big deal.

 
txjustin:
I'm in your shoes too bud. I won't start an MBA until I'm 31. Some of us don't get started until a little later in life. No big deal.

That's exactly what I think. Yes, I wasted the past couple years learning something non-finance. I am totally fine with having a late start, much better than never. All good advice here. LOL, I guess the people telling me to do MBA now are not thinking too deeply.

 
elttaes2010:
txjustin:
I'm in your shoes too bud. I won't start an MBA until I'm 31. Some of us don't get started until a little later in life. No big deal.

That's exactly what I think. Yes, I wasted the past couple years learning something non-finance. I am totally fine with having a late start, much better than never. All good advice here. LOL, I guess the people telling me to do MBA now are not thinking too deeply.

I would only take the advice of someone who had 0-2 years of work exp and went to a top 5 mba..if no one then your better off listening to advice here as this board is well informed of the mba route

 

In my opinion, I think you should build up some work experience in your targeted field. Then you can go for an top MBA program later on; it'll help you land a top position with the work experience and the Top Mba degree

 

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