I'm thinking of taking a job with a non-profit in a high COL city underwriting small business and start up loans. I want to support the cause and I think the udnerwriting experience will be great, but I don't know if it could set me back in terms of career growth, grad school and general money.
| +44 | Who is your favorite philosopher? | 28 | 3d |
| +39 | Uchicago is paradise | 8 | 14m |
| +27 | Without a tribe | 8 | 3d |
| +23 | How the Hell Do People Actually Get Into Private Golf Clubs? | 24 | 41m |
| +22 | Why is AI wrong? | 7 | 20h |
| +13 | Definitive Updated Wharton Club Rank 2026 | 4 | 4d |
| +12 | POLL: Optimistic or Pessimistic? | 8 | 1d |
| +6 | Giving AI Impossible Tasks | 8 | 1d |
| +4 | Why do Asians fake their names? | 28 | 2h |
| +3 | Unhinged euphemisms | 3 | 2d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
So many questions:
- Are you still in school and "thinking of taking a job" or are you already employed? (makes a different to what options you have)
- What other options would you have if you didn't take this job?
- How does the salary at the non-profit look like and how does that compare to the cost of living in your city?
- Is the city the same as where you live now?
- What's your plan after you do this job (for how long, what does it turn into if you stay, what are your desired exit options) and what are your long term career goals?
- What are you thinking in terms of graduate school?
I am currently employed.
Long term, I want to make the most $$$ in the least amount of time while still being happy. Things can change; things don’t always happen as expected.
Salary is livable and the benefits appear to be pretty damn good. I won't post here but there's the standard 15 days + WFH some days. Almost 25 full days off in a year.
While I have my specific role in credit and lending, the opportunity allows me to dip my toe in other parts of the organization. My plan is to go with the flow as long as it gets me to where I want to go. This is not a random NP FP&A job -its in a credit and lending function that is a step up from where I am currently: I'll be analyzing financials and interviewing borrowers, developing skills that will help me transition into that MM or BB bank or other non-bank lender (before or after B School).The principles of underwriting and structuring a $200k loan are the same as those needed to underwrite a $70 MM loan right? The nuances may be different but the basic foundations, I'm assuming, are the same.
B-School: The idea of getting into a school where the "network" or "prestige" can help me get a job is good. I'm not seeking "prestige," simply opportunities and a quality education. I'm not top10 material, but I can be in the top 20-25.
I'm very much a late starter career wise, which is a concern. I'm about 4 years behind where most people are in their careers at this point in time – typically associates or halfway through their MBAs.
If I got the job offered to me right now I would take it, but I like to think long term. There’s the risk that my expectations and the job will actually be different, but from talking with my supervisor to be I don’t think it’s likely.
some non-profits can pay very high salaries (The Clinton Foundation, Gates Foundation, etc...for example) and could potentially be very good stepping stones and create amazing contacts....but it really depends on the foundation and the work you'll actually be doing.
Quia commodi itaque aliquid enim blanditiis unde. Aut in odio blanditiis.
Officiis temporibus pariatur nam impedit accusamus perferendis quidem. Doloribus asperiores occaecati alias totam error autem. Labore laboriosam in est aspernatur dolore. Quasi quaerat beatae perferendis magnam. Ad et omnis magni esse. Inventore aspernatur quas ad voluptatem molestiae. Quis quia consequatur similique et.
Et voluptas corrupti repellat. Accusamus maxime fugiat est in nostrum eos. Et nemo dolor accusantium animi.
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...