Undergrad -> International Organization -> MBA -> Finance/Consulting?

Hi,

I have been reading multiple threads at these forums and found out that most career paths were pretty much cookie cutter.

Ivy/Ivy-Plus undergrad -> 2~3 years of work (associate at MBB or BB IBD or small boutique) -> MBA -> then career change (into HF or PE or more Consulting... or Silicon Valley or F500)

But I was wondering if I could take a rather different approach.

I go to an Ivy/Ivy-plus undergrad. I was wondring if I could double major in International Studies and Applied Mathematics during undergrad (concentrating on International Finance and Computational Finance), work for International Organizations (DC related jobs), see as much of the world as possible, then apply for an MBA or MFin, and take a career change into Finance/Consulting.

So pretty much what I am wondring is, if I could replace 2~3 years of work as an associate with working for the government or international organizations and still make it into the MBA business schools">M7 or the top 10.

I know anything is possible, but I would like to know "how possible" this career path is!

Thanks Guys!

4 Comments
 
Best Response

Since you mentioned PE/HF -- if you really want buyside, you're best off doing the typical sellside (vanilla IBD analyst) to buyside track:

1) Do two or so years of IBD/MBB after college 2) Do two or so years of pre-MBA PE/HF work 3) Get an MBA 4) If you're lucky, get a post-MBA PE/HF job.

What sort of "International Organizations" are you talking about? People get into top-tier MBA programs from all different walks of life. If you do get into a good business school, it will open the doors to post-MBA finance (mainly CF and sellside IBD for those without PE/HF experience) and consulting.

 

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