Hi, I have a tricky life decision to make and would appreciate some wisdom from this forum. After spending 3 years at a MO role with a tier 1 US bank in NYC, I have to leave the States in 3 months due to the failure of winning the work visa lottery. My manager is willing to help me relocate to HK for a year, but I also have the option of starting at a M7 business school thanks to the 2+2 program I was admitted to before graduation (max deferral period is 4-5 years).
I have been debating whether to move to HK or start B school this fall. I will definitely go to B-school at some point because I want to transition into a FO job in banking or consulting, and it was nearly impossible for me to change jobs while working due to the visa restrictions. On the flip side, I am interested in seeing the regional markets and expanding my network in Asia.
My biggest concern is that our HK team is much smaller than the NY team and does not do as much interesting work, so the extra year spent may not not show enough progress on my career development and resume. My manager did tell me I would continue to work on US clients and projects though... Do you think this relocation experience would put me at a disadvantage for MBA job recruiting? Is spending four years at a MO role too long of a time?
B school this fall given COVID
Thanks. Do you mind elaborating the reasoning? I also thought COVID and the economic downturn could justify a reset at B-school, but was concerned about its impact for school programs and OCRs.
Not sure if going to B school due to the outbreak is a good option.
Which B school are you going to and will you target IBD positions?
The school is Booth. My first choice right now is consulting, but I am also open to IB.
so you would be matriculating after 3 years of full time work experience?
Two things for you to consider: 1. do you need to leave US to obtain F1 visa? if so, logistics would be hard this year due to the pandemic. 2. the impact on OCR could be huge this year, maybe the economy will somewhat recover next year when you do FT recruiting, but summer recruiting can be brutal this year.
The main pros for you are 1) you already have the min number of years of experience for most MBA jobs, so going to Booth now can potentially accelerate your career. 2) spending another year in mid office in HK may not add much value to your candidacy.
If you can get a deferral of two more years, I would relocate, get some international experience/get a promotion, then come back to bschool. Too much uncertainty/job market competition too start bschool right now and better to build up more career experience to maximize what you get out of school.
Thanks. I have already been promoted and the next promotion won’t happen for another 2-3 years.
To provide an update on this thread and thank all your kind fellow monkeys who advised me last spring, I eventually moved to HK and did not regret the decision a bit. I was able to complete a major project for my group while in HK and had a blast exploring the city (mostly hikes in the outlying islands). Being on the ground in Asia and this mini exodus during COVID has definitely changed my career perspective. Will start considering Asia as a serious long term career destination after bschool
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