Post-MBA IB as a woman: need advice on deciding
I'm an incoming HSW mba student currently 29 and married. I work in the life sciences industry rn but I want to do at least a summer plus two years of IB so that I can move into a corp dev role in the pharma industry.
However I'm already scared of life as a female banker because I'll be 31 once I graduate (I don't yet know if I want kids). Will I basically be destroying my health and also losing time on the fertility clock just to make more dollars? The allure of moving into a tech job is also there ... tech firms selling into healthcare definitely pay much more than other industries with great WLB, especially the AI firms that have raised $$$; long term exits into pharma leadership seem impossible from these though so there's some component of giving up on my dreams with this option.
If there are any female bankers on this sub, please let me know your experience. Some specific questions I have:
- Are hours getting any better with AI?
- How many years of banking would really make it worth it?
- How are people maintaining health-conscious lifestyle in banking atm?
- What's the best way I can leverage my 6 yrs of pre-MBA experience and set myself apart from other Associates?
- Would folks recommend going into generalist banking or life sciences banking? I'm an international student and my home country (in case I ever had to move back) does not have a big life sciences industry but it does have a lot of generalist PE and pension funds where I'd love to exit to in case the life sciences route doesn't work out
why not start an "online content" business?
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here’s a breakdown of advice tailored to your situation:
1. Are hours getting any better with AI?
2. How many years of banking would really make it worth it?
3. How are people maintaining a health-conscious lifestyle in banking?
4. What’s the best way to leverage your 6 years of pre-MBA experience and set yourself apart from other Associates?
5. Would folks recommend going into generalist banking or life sciences banking?
Additional Considerations:
Ultimately, your decision should balance your professional aspirations with your personal priorities. If you’re clear about your goals and proactive in managing your health and time, IB can be a rewarding path.
Sources: 34 year old day trader to investment banker, Post MBA IB: deciding which group?, Post MBA IB associates, how did you know you could handle the life?, Post MBA IB associates, how did you know you could handle the life?, Girl Investment Bankers - Any tips?
Why did you specify the questions for females when they are questions that are applicable to everyone in ib lol
Ignore the doofuses above.
I did 3 years in a life-sciences IB group at a BB (GS/MS/JPM) on the west coast. I'm a guy but my good friends in the group were mostly post-MBA women (going to one's wedding this fall). they were all similar to you (in their early 30s) when we worked together and they all came from the life sciences industry beforehand (either from pharma or medtech)
there's no sugarcoating it, the banking lifestyle is just hard. the hours are bad, it's pretty sedentary, everything you've heard. A few things for them made it more manageable
- having a group with a number of other women, ideally on the associate / VP level. there weren't any seniors in my group who were women so there wasn't the top down support, but having a cadre of friends was truly critical. they would go do yoga classes together and we'd collectively hang out outside of work together. making a few friends is important in any office setting, but having other women in banking seemed like it made a difference for them
- think most people would say that personal health is very much what you make of it. is it fun working out late at night or early in the morning after a late night? no. not at all. very much the opposite of fun. but people can pull it off. a big piece of it too is just watching what you eat and staying away from alcohol. if you want to avoid putting on the pounds, avoid the bottle. eventually though you'll figure out the health routine that works well for you.
- I work in PE now and didn't work in IB while AI was becoming a thing, so take what I say with at least some grain of salt as what I say is only applicable to my experience in PE -> no. the hours are NOT better with AI. I'm 20% more efficient but i'm also just expected to do 20% more. it's frustrating that way, you can never get ahead, even with new tech.
- Know i mentioned that my friends all had ~6 years of pre-MBA experience as well... but honestly I don't think it helps at all with being a good associate. Banking as an associate is a totally different skillset (maybe the experience would help if you ever transitioned into a senior role covering those companies). the biggest differentiator for MBA associates is 1) ability and willingness to work hard (being lazy/not being in the weeds with your analysts will not bode well for your year-end bonus) and 2) be humble (learn and develop relationships with analysts). I cannot stress this enough - identify and befriend the good analysts. oftentimes they'll have the ears of the seniors and are asked who of the MBA associates is good / willing to put in the work and who is not. they are more likely to speak well of you if you are generally friendly and humble. the MDs took us departing analysts out to dinner and very explicitly asked what we thought of the associates.
- from the sound of it, you're very interested in life sciences. go for it! it shouldn't really be a problem to transition to a generalist program after. for the first 3-4 years of banking youre more learning how to do the banking job rather than actually develop a unique perspective on the industry / client relationships and the banking job skillset is highly transferable across verticals.
- you didn't ask specifically about this, but are you dead set on west coast or east coast? I am a big proponent of people considering west coast healthcare IB vs. east coast healthcare IB. you look at the growthier subindustries (biotech, medtech, healthcare it, life sciences tools and dx) vs. new york is more slow old school stuff (services, insurance, providers, etc.). ny does have some biotech coverage but its just the boston biotech scene. my bank structured it this way, would guess most others do as well
- on tech startup vs. banking. unequivocally do banking. you'll survive the two years and have great professional experience & name brand to leverage thereon out. you'll also learn a zillion times more than at some rando AI tech firm. also the camaraderie in banking is real and I've made friends in my old group that I'll keep in touch with for years to come (and remember that they're all high achieving smart people, who knows when those connections will come in handy down the line)
sort of rambling in the above. I'm happy to answer any other Qs you have either here or in PM.
bro nobody is reading this lmao, I went to a top school for my MBA and never read the case studies
sigh
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