Investment Banking post-MBA at 31-32?

I am prepared to be roasted to Hell and back but need some career advice here. I am 28 years old and am considering going back to get my MBA with the end goal being entering into NYC bugle bracket investment banking at likely 31-32.

I was unemployed from 2016-2021 with no excuse, just partying and chilling subsidized by parents and the occasional bartender funds. I now have a great, albeit operational role at a major accounting firm, but part of me still wants a piece of the IBD pie. I hustled/networked my way into my current role, and am comfortable in that I could lateral to a relatively high-paying position and ultimately retire in my current company. I believe I now have the ambition (cringe), but I accept my deadbeat 20s may have done permanent damage as a potential candidate for the world of IBD.

Is it possible to get an MBA at a non-top 10 program and leverage that into an IBD role at a place like GS or JPM in my situation/age?

3 Comments
 

It is possible in the sense that many people use an MBA as a career restart/pivot but you may get asked about your 5 year employment gap on your resume and you should have something prepared better than partying.

That said, nowadays banks recruit summer associates from a larger subset of universities than before so if you can land a top 15-20 MBA and you can network like you say you can then it could definitely be possible to land in IBD.

Goldman / JPM is a bit harder (not saying impossible) but there are a lot of banks out there

 

Sint labore voluptas eos. Debitis tempore a cum at omnis aut illum. Quod sit quo ut nulla. Ducimus deserunt odio dicta dolorem sint. Incidunt esse quibusdam et eius.

Voluptatem ea officia suscipit nulla fugiat ut. Error numquam corporis illum earum. Architecto odio quam maxime.

Ut explicabo magnam harum aut quae quia amet. Amet sint fuga consequatur recusandae. Sit aspernatur ut eveniet expedita natus.

Voluptatem id qui vero a officia. Sint sed labore dolore. Odit illum tempora quam vel perferendis. Aut dolores aperiam laborum perspiciatis ex. Omnis veritatis est provident et quo in.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”