35 yo MBA?
I've been considering getting an MBA for a while but I thought I'd ask the community for input.
I started in consulting at a small firm after college and found a a way to lateral into finance as an experienced hire. I worked in private equity for several years at the analyst level and left to pursue a strategy role. The goal was to help stand up a new group, have more ownership, and to have more time to plan my next move. I was in the process of applying for an MBA at age 31. Unfortunately I was derailed by a fairly significant health issue. I've needed surgery, extended treatment, and rehab. Thankfully I'm climbing out this hole and starting to plan my next move. I'd still really like to get an MBA. That said, if I were to start at age 35 I'd be 37 by the time I'm done.
Is being a 35 year old candidate going to be a problem when recruiting for associate roles in IB? I have relevant experience and can clearly cope with the demands of the job. I'm just asking purely from an age perspective.
Wouldn’t be an ideal candidate for IB associate tbh. Those analyst promote hate mbas. You have to be strategic, and try to go to a group that are mostly with MBA backgrounds. Lots of haters out there
I would probably just skip MBA and look to move back into finance without it. Could probably shoot for more VP level roles. Might not be the best shops and opportunities but you probably should be optimizing for life / family instead of spending $250k and two years of your life to land a marginally prestigious role.
Worst idea I’ve heard in a while
I think age is less of an issue than the story your resume tells. You're not coming in as someone who's spent 10 years doing something unrelated and suddenly decided IB sounds interesting. You've got consulting, PE and strategy experience, so there's a coherent narrative there.
That said, I'd be thoughtful about the opportunity cost. At 37, you'd be re-entering a pretty demanding career path at the associate level, potentially alongside people several years younger. That's not necessarily a problem, but it's worth being honest about whether you want the actual job, not just the optionality an MBA provides.
I'd talk to a few MBA grads who recruited for IB later than the typical candidate and, ideally, people involved in associate hiring at your target banks. Get the unvarnished version before committing two years and a substantial amount of money.
And congrats on getting through the health issues. I'd make sure the decision works for the life you're rebuilding, not just the career you had planned before things changed.
MBA round 1 applications have already passed and those would be for you to start in the fall of 2027. You’d start at 36 and graduate at 38. The average first year top MBA student pursuing IB is 27-28 at the time of recruitment. You’ll be 8-9 years older and you will stick out. Very steep mountain to climb. Most likely banks will not want to talk to you. Probably best to try to use your current job to lateral to something related.
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