Career crossroads- post MBA sell side equity research -> Corporate development?
I have seen a few postings on here somewhat related to my issue but thought I would spell out exactly the crux I am facing.
So I am at a bit of a crossroads in my career- I graduated from a non-target but through an extended relationship, I was able to land an analyst role at a small investment management company abroad. I spent the previous 4 years there but recently returned to the United States. I applied and was recently accepted to a couple MBA programs (T15 and ~T18) as I wanted access to a US based network to help my career both in the short and long term. While I understand the difficulty in doing so, post MBA I planned on trying to end up in a sell side ER role. I already have my CFA.
That said, although from an outside perspective, corporate development has appeared very interesting considering comp, work/life balance and relative stability. I applied and recently was offered a role as a senior analyst at an F1000 firm. I understand the traditional route to corporate development is IB for a few years then lateral but 80 hours a week is not particularly appealing to me at this point in time. I am concerned if I accept the offer today and skip MBA school, I will be unable to return to investment management/research for the entirety of my career. Additionally, I strongly feel if I hold off on the MBA now I will not go get it later.
To keep my options open, I feel that if possible, gaining a few years experience at a larger firm (BB preferably) in a sell side role will allow me to both 1) continue down the investment management career path 2) keep the door open for a lateral into corporate development down the line. Obviously, the entirety of this thinking relies on the ability to move from ER to corp dev post-MBA. I understand that a pay cut will likely be involved.
Can anyone on here shed some light as to my line of thinking? How feasible would it be to lateral into corporate development after 2-3 years of equity research experience post MBA?
