IB to MBA directly?
Hey guys, so I have been recruiting off cycle for PE and realize I don't really want to be an investor long term. My IB stint so far is going well, and I was thinking what if I did 3 years in IB to an MBA directly?
I'd be more interested in corporate work long term, so IB --> MBA --> Consulting --> Corporate is more appealing to me than IB --> PE --> MBA --> PE --> board seats one day.
Any ideas? A few kids in the past went from my bank to MBAs and they are doing well now so I know it's not impossible but also know it's not very common.
Also I hope this isn't taken the wrong way but cost isn't really a consideration for me in terms of the MBA.
My brother, you can do anything you'd like. There are no right or wrong paths.
Thank you, I just feel pressure to conform to what other people have done which I know is not really smart. Would you say in terms of general life/career progress this is at least somewhat logical? Just don't want to hinder my life.
I was in your shoes. Did 5 years of IB -> M7 MBA -> Corp Strat.
I think it's a logical story to tell in the admissions process, plus banking has a couple advantages over PE in MBA admissions so you're more competitive than this forum would lead you to believe (chiefly employer brand recognition, and if you do a year as an associate you'll have real management experience to speak to).
You'll be in the minority in your business school class, but definitely a reasonable reason to pursue an MBA and should have no problem with recruiting.
Thank you, one other factor I am considering is my bank is in the middle market, so my PE options are limited to LMM to MM and we play in a niche end market, so that's where my biggest set of opportunities are. My aspirations are more towards F500 or even F100 leadership one day, and that is not really possible from my current firm. Is that something you think I can sell in my interviews?
Also high level, would you mind sharing what MBA programs you were admitted to? I am thinking Columbia/Kellogg/Haas type of programs would be realistic - I know HBS/GSB/Wharton, etc will likely be tough from where I stand but maybe not impossible.
Also one other point, I don't really aspire to be working in the PE IB 2.0 type of environment. Feel like it'll be a lot of stress and back to square 0 for a job I have less conviction for.
I went to one of the schools in your first bucket.
And yes, wanting to work at an industry leader / shift functions is something that you can definitely sell in admissions interviews.
Have you tried applying directly to F500 corp dev opportunities from your current seat? I feel like they're fairly receptive to a wide range of banking backgrounds.
I’m also in a similar seat. Have done 3 years in banking and long term see myself working at a corporate, possibly going to b-school in the next few years. For Corp dev/strategy roles, do we normally just apply for roles as they come up on LinkedIn / company website? I feel like I rarely see recruiter outreach for corporate roles
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