Pushing start date to January to get an additional minor?

So I just got the full-time start dates from my firm, and am choosing between the September and January start dates.

To give a little bit of background, I will be finishing school in September, and the September start date is less than 3 days after I graduate (summer school). So I was considering starting in January and picking up an additional math minor (just a few courses left) in the Fall.

My questions are:

1) Does starting in January have any downsides (at MBB, if that matters)? What I'm concerned about is being delayed for promotion and being behind the rest (most) of my starting class (learning curve etc.). Would love to hear from anyone who started late/knows people who started late.

2) Would I still apply for b-school in the same year as those who started in the Fall?

3) I am somewhat interested in PE and definitely b-school. Would an additional math minor help with either at all?

Thanks for your input.

22 Comments
 

My advice would be to start in January...

...and travel/rest/spend time with your friends/significant other. (Assuming this would be feasible financially).

You have your entire life to work.

 
overpaid_overworkedIf you start in January, you're four months behind all the guys starting in September.

Agreed. And by then, everyone will have lost the patience to deal with fresh blood. You can be as much of an expert heading into the program as you want, but at the beginning, you're going to slow people down - that's inevitable. You don't want to be the slow guy after all of your peers have spent four months getting more efficient.

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 
overpaid_overworkedIf you start in January, you're four months behind all the guys starting in September.

But 8 months ahead of the next group of guys starting next september

 
StryfeDSP
overpaid_overworkedIf you start in January, you're four months behind all the guys starting in September.

But 8 months ahead of the next group of guys starting next september

I doubt anyone you're working with is going to think about it this way. They are going to see you as the slow guy that they need to baby through all of the internal procedures on which you aren't up-to-speed.

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 

Your promotion will be based on set time periods (eg 24 months) so you will be delayed compared to those that started in in September but not delayed in terms of your actual tenure.

On thing to consider is your annual bonus. Some firms consider your first X months to be ineligible toward performance bonuses. So if you start in January, you first bonus would be 12-x months. If you start in September, your first bonus would be a full bonus the following December.

 
phdconsultantYour promotion will be based on set time periods (eg 24 months) so you will be delayed compared to those that started in in September but not delayed in terms of your actual tenure.

On thing to consider is your annual bonus. Some firms consider your first X months to be ineligible toward performance bonuses. So if you start in January, you first bonus would be 12-x months. If you start in September, your first bonus would be a full bonus the following December.

I just think this is dubious advice. Sure, these are considerations, but the real issue is that you'll be 4-5 months behind everyone else. Trust me, that's not somewhere you want to be.

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 
Best Response

In the long run nobody cares when you start. When people look at the staffing sheets to staff a case, they will see that you are new and adjust expectations accordingly. This is no different than when staffing a case in September when all the available people are new. Any new person will not get the perfect project and will not be expected to be as productive as a more seasoned person. Whether you start in January or September, you will be viewed as new.

For promotions, your start date is not held against you either. You have 24 months to prove yourself regardless of when you start.

In summary, start when you want to. You won't be the first person to start in January if you choose to do that. The additional minor has near zero value to your career.

 
phdconsultantIn the long run nobody cares when you start. When people look at the staffing sheets to staff a case, they will see that you are new and adjust expectations accordingly. This is no different than when staffing a case in September when all the available people are new. Any new person will not get the perfect project and will not be expected to be as productive as a more seasoned person. Whether you start in January or September, you will be viewed as new.

I just disagree with this sentiment. Same reason that winterns get far less quality work experience than SAs, people just don't want to deal with fresh blood if they can avoid it.

Even granting that starting in January is the same as starting in September, the math doesn't change: it's still not worth postponing your start to get a math minor.

"For all the tribulations in our lives, for all the troubles that remain in the world, the decline of violence is an accomplishment we can savor, and an impetus to cherish the forces of civilization and enlightenment that made it possible."
 

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