Which job should I take now for better exit opps?
I have offers from 5 places (I'm an undergraduate senior):
JPM Financial analyst (not in NYC though, in Columbus)
ZS Associates - business analytics associate
Deloitte - AERS Risk Consultant
E&Y- Risk Consultant
Healthcare systems company in middle-of-nowhere - financial analyst
Which one of these would be the best in terms of options after graduating from a MBA program after a few years? I want the ability to choose between going the consulting/hedgefund or IBD route...not sure if that's even possible but figured I'd ask.
Thanks!
Oh yeah and by consulting I mean more McKinsey/Bain, not IT consulting at Deloitte..
ZS is what I would take
could you tell me why runthetown?
Because ZS is a good feeder into top MBA programs and they are pretty selective in who they hire. The work in business analytics will also be more valuable outside of finance than any of the other crap you would be doing at other firms. MBB will respect your work experience and brand name from ZS over risk consulting at Deloitte or E&Y.
My votes for JPM. Despite the location, the name carries.
Is financial analyst the term for JPM's mid-office?
Can you elaborate on what position they are offering you?
Most of these could give you a good shot at a decent B-School down the road...I meet a lot of people who were at these types of firms pre-MBA, went to top 15 schools, and are now MBB. I'd lean toward ZS if you're interested in pharma and healthcare, otherwise JPM.
@Cries - JPM is just a support role - risk/treasury/compliance...that sort of thing. Yes it is JPM's term for mid-office
@petergibbons - is it possible to do Deloitte AERS Business Risk and still get into a good B-school?
I'd say ZS is your best opportunity. Depending on you GPA (if you have over a 3.5, and score over a 700 on the GMAT) then you will have a decent shot at getting into a top MBA program with 3 years of experience at ZS. I know a lot of ppl that met that criteria that worked for ZS or a firm around its equivalent, and got into some great programs.
Although JPM has a great name, Im assuming its the FADP in Columbus? and my understanding is its very middle/back office work.
ZS business analytics will give you a broader range of work as oppose to doing specifically risk, which is not a bad thing, if you want to do risk consulting.
Yeah JPM is very middle to back office work...that's why I wasn't sure!
My undergraduate GPA is a 3.8 and I took the GMAT as an 18 year old and scored a 700 - I'm sure I can do it again if I need to :D
Does getting into a top mba program mean that you can automatically consider hedge funds and IB (I'm not really interested in those right now but I just want to keep my options open) as potential employers?
^oversimplified answer to this question: depending on your background, it most likely means you can automatically consider IB, but not hedge funds... not right away, at least
@runthetown - what if I do want to get into finance after graduating from a mba program?
Will selecting ZS mean that I'm going to be at a disadvantage when I want to join the finance field?
No, you will be a career switcher via MBA full-time program so just aim for the relevant internship. In my opinion, ZS will give you the best shot at a top MBA school. Just kick ass at ZS and you should be fine.
Thank you everyone for your advice and help! It really helped! :)
another nod for zs
I know a lot of people here are saying ZS and I think I am in agreement; however, I recently saw a post by Kenny_Powers_CFA saying the following (for someone who wants to go from big 4 advisory to IBD):
"One thing I will say is that you can't count on using an MBA to transition from Big 4 to finance these days. I know several people who went to top-15 programs with that intention and they're all ending up back at the Big 4-albiet with their MBA paid for and perfectly solid consulting jobs in hand. Tough to know where the market will be in 6-8 years when you'd be exiting business school, but something to keep in mind."
Is this true? I know Big 4 advisory is not the same as management consulting, but can the statement that "you cannot count on a MBA" apply in my case as well? Though I am not interested in IBD now, I MAY be in the future (just want to keep my options open).
Oh yeah and will getting a MBA from a top university after working at ZS make it possible for me to become a financial analyst at a tech company (Google, MS, Facebook, etc...)?
I've seen several people go from ZS to healthcare IB without an MBA. Check out LinkedIn. ZS is an awesome place to work too from what I've heard.
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