Diversifying Your Background for B-School

I am currently working at an investment bank and will probably make the move over to a Fund of Funds. The company has told me that I would have great sell-side experience and with the buy-side experience I gain in FoF, I should be very well rounded and would differentiate myself from the regular IB to PE candidate for B-school. My question is what opportunities are there for someone like me after I complete my MBA, say at a top tier B-school (Chicago, Wharton, Northwestern, etc.)? Would I be stricken to Asset Management or would I still be competitive enough for Corporate Strategy/Business Development positions?

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Pat_BatemanI am currently working at an investment bank and will probably make the move over to a Fund of Funds. The company has told me that I would have great sell-side experience and with the buy-side experience I gain in FoF, I should be very well rounded and would differentiate myself from the regular IB to PE candidate for B-school.

How would FoF make you more competitive than traditional direct investing? If you are thinking about the story, it would go something like this:

Direct: We analyzed a company's financials, conducted due diligence, met with management, structured the deal, and "created value" by making the company better.

FoF: We got a prospectus from a fund, ran a fatal-flaw analysis, met with the fund manager a couple times and got a feel for strategy, briefly looked over portfolio company financials, invested money into the fund, and then we "set it and forget it".

Which one sounds more compelling to you?

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Ruby Rhod, I didn't say that my route was more compelling than direct investing or that it was better. PE is obviously a better position, but what the recruiters told me is that there would be less people that have an IB/FoF background heading into B-school than people that have an IB/PE background, hence, I would differentiate myself and be a little different than the pack, not necessary more competitive. Are you insecure or something, man? I have many friends that go into PE from IB and I wish them the best and have a lot of respect for those guys, so just calm down.

Additionally, my question simply focused on exit opportunities, as I wanted to see what my options were since I wasn't going into PE.

 

Wasn't trying to be overly critical, I just wanted to convey the point that direct investing is perceived as more substantive, which could then put you at a disadvantage. Sorry if my tone came across like a tool.

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