Should I be a Navy Fighter Pilot or Investment Banker?
Currently facing an existential career crisis at the moment. I am a freshman at a strong target undergrad, and my belief is that my path to investment banking or PE out of undergrad is pretty simple. My parents are currently paying full tuition for the school($80k), and albeit they can afford it it is still a strain on family resources and their retirement. I was recently offered a full Navy ROTC scholarship for the next three years($250k). Caveat is I have to serve for 5 years, and if I become a pilot 9 years. With my testing and mechanical skills I’m pretty sure I can land a spot in a jet, and my officer confirmed that most kids from my school who do ROTC can do whatever they want once they’re an officer. After my time I would get my MBA or JD with about 1/3 of it covered by the government. My parents also offered to give me 1/3 of my tuition money they would have payed upon graduation. To me if I serve 9 years get my MBA at 33 it seems I can have a solid corporate career, serve my country, and see the world flying $300M dollar planes. On the other hand, being a top IB analyst sets you up for life. Anyone have an opinion or advice?
No one can answer this question but you.
Just imagine yourself at 33. You’re a high up banker…will you ever wonder what it would have felt like to fly a jet? The cool stories you can share? Conversely, as you graduate MBA at 33, would you have wished to have already been a high up banker instead?
Also, being a top IB analyst does not necessarily set you for life. Many people get burned out, quit, or get laid off as industries cycle.
Bro the rotc recruiter is lying to you, if you have high grades and good test scores you’re heading to the submarine force…3.0 students fly fighter jets, 3.8 students toil away in the nuclear navy…so the question you gotta ask yourself is if you wanna be an IB analyst or a submarine officer? Source: former submariner turned IB associate
I was under the impression that with high grades and ASTV you would most likely get aviation if that was your first choice. Was that not the case for people you met in the navy?
No, that's definitely not the case, that's what the recruiter will tell you to sell you on joining but it all comes down to the needs of the navy....the navy has a line of people with a 3.2 gpa from xyz state school that majored in history and can't find a job after college, they can bring them in and make them fighter pilots, they don't have anybody lining up to become sub officers so they take the best and brightest from the academy and from rotc because those people have no choice....if your tuition is $80k you're going to some prestigious private school and the navy is happy to pay that tuition for you to bring you into the sub force
A submarine officer and an ib analyst both suck for your first job, but they suck in different ways, pm me if you wanna talk about it more
"being a top ib analyst sets you up for life" lol
It does. Tell me how a six figure job out of undergrad doesn’t.
In your opinion what job does set someone up for life?
what?? Being set for life is having at least low 8 figures. How would a couple 100k or couple mill set u up for life?
Sent you a PM- went through the same thing when entering college and Navy ROTC
I guess try for both, lots of ex military professionals transition from service to the finance trenches 💵😤🫡 following an MBA.
One thing to note as some others have pointed out is the fact that military recruiters are huge liars and will tell you what you want to hear to sign the dotted line and sell your life away to them. I would diligence the crap out of the feasibility of becoming a military pilot, seems alot more difficult to me than becoming a generic banker.
If you’re even entertaining the military I think you should give it a shot right out of school. The spreadsheets aren’t going anywhere, but you can’t go back at 30+ years old and be the same airman. Just make sure you’re OK doing whatever job your country needs you to do, even if it’s sitting at a dim, green computer terminal in a missile silo deep in the mountains of obscuristan. No guarantees you get to fly something sick like an A10. You need to think of recruiters like IB intern prospects - will say anything they think you want to hear. Still admirable to serve no matter what. But if you’re a smart guy they might want to use your horsepower for something consequential.
At the end it comes down to what you really want. However, I know some pilots who took the military service route and have landed (no pun intended) a sweet gig. They do a few years of service and then transitioned to the commercial pilot side and have awesome jobs. Apparently you can only work like 3 days a week due to FAA restrictions and you start out around $100k/year and can earn close to $500k/year with the right airlines.
There’s a lot of additional missing information here.
1. Would you be happy serving in the Navy even if you were not a pilot? Because one thing that is became apparent from my own application to the Navy is that you may certainly be able to state preferences but ultimately you do not entirely control where you will be placed. The people who seem to be happiest in the Navy are those who embraced various opportunities That arose outside of their control or preference. That includes where they ended up getting stationed and the way their roles and jobs were assigned to them.
2. Have you interned in investment banking? Do you really know what it’s all about and whether you enjoy it? Or whether you can go through the suffering for the learning and development that it gives you on the other side?
Upon more research it seems about 85% of people from my program get a top 2 choice. So I guess I reasonably expect to be flying for 8 years or be on a sub for 5 years. Definitely trying to fully consider that I could end up in a sub in my decision.
Is this a serious question dude? If you can fly jets, you should do it
if you don't mind dying, then go to army. $250k is not a major deal though. you'll pay it back within like 3-4 years after school. dying in war action is a major deal.
Sounds like a question some college kid in 1987 would ask after watching Top Gun and Wall Street the same year
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