Immediate Start Offer While in Grad School
Hello, it's my first time posting here. Needed some advice from fellow monkeys on the site. I'm a grad student graduating Spring 2025. I was recently offered a research role that I really liked: reputable firm, comp is great, location is great. This would be the kind of job I was hoping to get coming out of grad school. However, it is an immediate start and I would lose my progress of my masters program that I have been in for just over a year now. When they interviewed me, they cited my undergrad and little work experience as having plenty qualification. Although I studied Finance at a target undergrad I didn't go into finance, and that's why I was doing a masters: to break "back into" finance. Do you think I should take this? Or finish out my masters and maybe try again next year?
Appreciate any advice. Thank you again.
p.s: I have a couple other offers with June 2025 start date, but this offer is a decent step up from my other offers in terms of comp ($30-40k total) and relatively similar company culture.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are some key points to consider:
Immediate Job Offer vs. Completing Masters:
Financial Considerations:
Career Trajectory:
Other Offers:
Long-Term Impact:
Networking and Experience:
Ultimately, the decision depends on your personal and professional priorities. If the immediate job offer aligns closely with your career goals and provides substantial benefits, it might be worth taking the leap. However, if you believe completing your masters will significantly enhance your career prospects, it might be worth finishing your degree.
Sources: On the off chance Investment Banking doesn't work out for me, Masters in Finance after M.S. in Financial Engineering, yay or nay?, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/real-estate/is-georgetown-masters-in-real-estate-for-me?customgpt=1, Latino woman not groomed for the finance “world” thoughts pls?, Should I Slow Down?
If the purpose of the masters was to break into finance, and you just got offered your ideal job without completing your masters, then take the job.
No need to turn down this offer and complete your masters just for a shot at getting the exact same job.
yup agree with this logic, as long as its a role that anyone else in your shoes would want to take as well
Thank you both, for your advice. I will take it into consideration.
Yeah take the job. Bird in the hand.
Had the same thing happen to me, but had student loans. They did not budge on start date and I could not take night classes. I said no and took a gamble, it all paid off and worked out for me.
If you have loans, I think its best to get the piece of paper or figure out a way to do night classes while you work and make it all work out.
Good to get an offer and validate yourself! Congrats!
Thank you. I also have a decent loan balance, and wouldn't want to have paid all of that money and have nothing to show for it.
I know in the grand scheme of things, I can pay it back in four to five years if I'm smart with my money, but it did have me thinking.
I'll take your advice into consideration.
Why not just continue in your program and recruit for stuff later
I thought about it, but I couldn't guarantee that I would be able to land on offer like this again before the end of the school year.
But no one can predict the future, and it's necessary to take risks sometimes I guess.
I don’t understand what this is saying
Why wouldn’t anyone take a top offer and choose to stay stuck in school?
If you're international, you'd need to finish to get the work permit. Another is student loans (idk the rationale saw above).
I guess another is risk vs reward based on the position/firm. If it's like a high turnover firm and you get fired really quickly then you're left with no job and incomplete masters.
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