Career/General Advice for a Soldier starting MBA

Quick bio: ~30 y/o male. Majored in accounting and graduated from an avg state school with a low 3 GPA. Realized I hated accounting so I joined the military instead. Turned out to be the best decision of my life...I was a f*ckin loser when I graduated from college (fat, lazy, no direction, etc) but, after 7 years in SOF, I've managed to course correct a little bit and unf*ck myself. I'll be transitioning to a T15 MBA this fall that will position me to have a shot at every professional opportunity I could ever want, if I work hard enough.

Thing is, I'm still not totally sure what I want to do or recruit for. I've been talking to as many people as I can in every industry but I'm smart enough to know when I don't know sh*t, and I don't when it comes to careers in corporate America. I think I've narrowed it down to 2, IB or RE Development. I've spent my entire career in the military as a member of a small team of high performers whose job is to get stuff done. Both seem to offer that, they're also both fast-paced. Seems like RED offers a much better WLB and more diversity in day-to-day tasks/jobs/hats to wear. I'm just worried it might pigeon hole me a little career wise. IB on the other hand seems like baptism by fire (which is an appealing challenge) and at least 2 years of hellish hours...but you're learning the whole time and when/if you decide to exit, you can do virtually anything you want (PE seems enticing but wtf do I know)...and the pay, the pay is big too haha. However, I hated accounting so why should IB be any better, still sitting in a cubicle all day, right?

Point of this post: I don't know sh*t about f*ck and so I'd like to hear from any and everyone who has any advice to offer. Pros and cons to these fields, other career paths that I didn't mention that could be worth checking out. I know this might come across as a lazy way of doing research but relax, its just one of the many I'm attempting to gather information. Lastly, thank you for your cervix (and if you're going to drag this post through the mud in the comments, make it funny).

2 Comments
 

Start talking to people today. Vets are in IB, consulting, RE-they are usually happy to talk to others about what they do all day, prospects, etc. Every bank has a veteran network you can access by calling HR. MBB will put you in touch with their folks too. The more you talk to these folks, the better you understand the job. Recruiting starts the day you start your MBA, often even before.

You have one summer to play with-try out whatever you want; if it works out great, if not, switch. Can you ask to shadow anyone for a few hours?

 

Expedita sit minima non. Qui debitis sit et aut. In inventore vero quod neque cupiditate.

Molestiae aliquid placeat quis dicta eligendi impedit et. Beatae sequi porro et ratione laudantium inventore. Temporibus magni in quae. Voluptatem velit ea tempore provident quia cum quidem soluta. Repellendus quia quisquam pariatur dolor itaque amet. Hic earum aut quis natus cum id. Et quae autem autem ullam voluptates nulla.

Eligendi quia maxime explicabo tempore dolorem velit. Iure delectus ipsa minima quas culpa ea quis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
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...”