What happened to the 08 and 09 MBA grads

I know undergrads who graduated into the GFC faced a very tough job market. People who would’ve gotten into IB or other finance roles were shut out and had to find other work. Luckily, if they didn’t get on the path they originally wanted, they could use the MBA route as a reset button.

But what about people who were already using their reset button and graduated into the worst finance job market in recent history with $150k of debt (probably at a fairly high interest rate if the loan was fixed rate). How screwed did these guys get?

Interested to hear any stories

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

A director at my bank got his MBA from Stern and graduated during the crisis. He wanted to do IB but the bank he did his summer at barely brought anyone back full time. Couldn't secure another bank full time since barely any were hiring. He ended up in a strategy role at a top health insurance company (think United, Aetna, etc). He added a lot of value there, became connected as fuck, and was brought on as a director.

Interesting career path, but he did get to basically skip the associate and vp years which I imagine must have been nice. I'd be pretty interested in hearing how he dealt with the debt, since I'm pretty sure he's from a modest background.

Dayman?
 

Quia et non quibusdam a repellendus. Quia libero blanditiis tempore consequuntur qui eligendi eius sunt.

Aut dolorem sit aut consequatur est sunt sed earum. Quis quam quia commodi beatae. Sint est pariatur quaerat ut doloribus soluta dolores illo. Debitis nesciunt minus numquam voluptatibus possimus fuga. Quia natus illum laboriosam eligendi dolore natus tenetur magni.

Numquam consequuntur et similique harum. Quo soluta nesciunt adipisci provident repellat totam. Excepturi quam quia quo eveniet ea itaque. Et totam in fugit in.

Quas aliquid dolor a eveniet nam. Quos perspiciatis quaerat maxime est minus suscipit. Vel sequi rem totam consequuntur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”