My next move
Hello,
My intro will be all over the place but I am in desperate need of counsel.
Here's the situation I'm dealing with.
I'm 26 and I have a BS in PR from a smaller state school with a VERY subpar GPA (around 2.2-2.3 I believe). I'm making an attempt to pursue an MBA in Fall 2013
.
I've gotten some solid strategies for "making up" up for my undergraduate mistakes like Post bacc programs and things of that nature, but I am having a difficult time trying to find the necessary route for Work Experience to add onto my resume before the Rounds start (which I probably won't be able to apply till Round 2 or 3 due to issues with post bacc classes). So hypothetically I have 9-10 months.
I have past experiences working in Sales and customer service during my undergraduate years and once I graduated in Dec 08 when the world was up and arms I grabbed the first job that called me back which was a Collections Position at JP Morgan, but was laid off a year later. I've had an assistant manager position for a whole sale supply company in Atlanta since then as well.
Now through my own research I have found that there is basically (esp these days) no way in hell I could crack into Investment Banking anywhere with no type of financial education or exp with investments, etc.
Would it be to my advantage to try find an entry level position such as a Financial Adviser that could eventually give me significant work experience for Grad App or later on when I get out of school and I am looking for Analyst work? Or should I just find any job available and worry about developing a finance background in school?
Its complicated right now, I'm unemployed and long story short I got into Villanova's post bacc but there were some issues with fin aid. Now I'm attempting to get into another post bacc program and of course I need money to live.
I'm open to move anywhere and do anything but I don't want to...example- Go to NYC find a fin adviser position in March, start NYU post bacc in the summer, finish the post bacc in December, work until I get an acceptance from school for August 2013 and stuck in a situation where I don't get into any NY schools and I have to leave. Like I said its an example I don't necessarily have to be in NYC but I've been at this thing for awhile and it seems to be my best bet, if I don't get into Columbia's post bacc which brings upon a whole new set of problems.
I have some career objectives ONCE or IF I can actually break into the financial industry but i also have to plan the what if scenario if I don't get into an MBA program. I'm not negative I just want to make the right decision for the present while positively affecting my future.
Can anyone help me steer?
Here are the standard replies that you will face:
Do not get an MBA, you will NOT be accepted into a good program and will NOT have good exit ops.
If you really want to get some more work experience and then shoot for a top 20 MBA, try getting a back office / middle office / boutique bank job
Your best bet is to get an MSF and recruit from there
I had lower grades than you and broke in to MM AM, but it took 1.5 years of working for free and 24/7 networking. If I'd know what an MSF was, I would have just done that and gotten an MBA later if necessary. Anything is possible, but try to reason as much as possible within the realm of statistical probabilities before going into no-man's land.
Start pounding the pavement and hustle hard (network!!). As UFO said get yourself in at boutique and take it from there.
you have a long route ahead of you of taking shit with that back ground.
If you really want a good chance at a top 50 program, you should go do something radical like Teach for America or Peace Corp.
Having a good story will help. Despite people's preconcieved notions, sometimes people who weren't focused on school for a period of life had other things going on: examine this and learn how to make it work for you. realize also that once you work for a while, GPA starts to matter less and less.
Seriously, start by talking to the deans at your college. Mine were very supportive and knew my background, and pulled strings that are normally reserved for the sons of politicians. You're literally going to have to make getting ahead a full time job in and of itself.
OR.....you can just absolutely kill the GMAT and apply to MSF programs. Contact user ANT for the best first point of contact. Know that you're a statistical outlier, but also know that the odds, the system, and your own sense of failure can definitely be overcome and turned into success.
Network, Network, Network. Nothing is impossible...I post this article all the time because it helped me keep knocking on doors until one opens. I think the best plan for you is to try to get a job that will pay decent and give you some type of experience, then shoot for an MSF. Its going to be hard, but nothing is impossible.
2 quotes that have helped me a ton:
Good is the enemy of great
yesterday you said tomorrow
Earum nihil incidunt culpa. Voluptates facilis voluptate impedit nemo quis deserunt. Dicta aut occaecati a quia. Aut autem quasi nobis labore eveniet. Aliquam magni reprehenderit consequatur dolorem.
Repellat est omnis nisi assumenda aut hic necessitatibus. Inventore sed culpa quos id ullam esse. Dolores dolores non voluptatem nihil magni ut dolore veniam.
Temporibus non voluptas accusamus possimus labore et hic consequatur. Optio aperiam voluptatem ea suscipit eligendi et accusamus ducimus. Beatae aliquid nisi dignissimos. Ut minima ducimus non.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...