Does an MBA make sense after BA; want to trade

I Couldnt agree more with ChiefChump, Almost every good trader I have met(guys who earn Million plus) only have an undergrad education. Alot of them are not even from target schools. I think this whole target-school stuff started when the nerds discovered that there is alot of money to be made in trading. Banking on the other hand has always been a waspy, high education, status oriented JOB. Things are changing so I would definately would atleast try to get a strong undergerad education at one of the big name schools if trading is ur ultimate goal

Also get a degree you can fall back on because for every one good trader, there are tons driving yellow cabs cause they sucked. It doesnt matter if you went to Wharton or a city university. Once on the job if u cant cut it then ur out fast. Unlike in banking

Thanks you two for your thoughtful answers.

To answer your question ChiefChump: I do like the M&A environment, but it seems to me that a position in trading is much more fast paced. There seems to be a lot more opportunities, and unlimited profit potential (and loss as well obviously). I feel that M&A is something solid you can always rely on, but I like the hype of trading, like both of you said, it's all about the $$. I'm highly highly ambitious, competitive, driven, and not satisfied with meritocracy, and I feel that a trading position is the ultimate risk/reward job. I have been focused and was sure I wanted to go to grad school, but I have started to doubt whether it makes sense for me, if i see myself going into trading some day.

Does anyone of you have personal experience in the field? privately or professionally?

I disagree with the above posters. While graduate degrees were not very common on trading floors a decade ago, that is changing, and quickly. On my desk, out of 100+ people in sales, trading, and structuring, at least 75% have graduate degrees--most are MBAs and a good number are finance, engineering, applied sciences, etc. In addition, a growing number are PhDs in math, physics, etc. (and I'm talking about sales, structuring, and trading, NOT the quants). As the trend moves away from cash products and to more exotics, the amount of education required increases.

That said, unlike in IBD, in S&T you do NOT need the MBA to progress. If you come in out of ugrad and are good then there is certainly no need to go back to grad school. I know of a few guys in their mid-20s who are crushing it and pulling in as much as $5mm and who have zero need to go back to school. But again, more and more banks are starting to prioritize MBA, PhD, and graduate school recruiting to a degree matching, if not exceeding, undergrad recruiting for S&T positions.

The days of S&T being dominated by white American males with minimal education are pretty much over. The best trading floors are becoming very diverse, international, and well educated, and I think that trend will just continue. I've posted this before, but I know that my desk in particular puts a strong focus on hiring finance MBAs with engineering ugrad degrees, and hires around 4 times as many post-MBA associates as post-undergrad analysts. That's for the sales and structuring side, but I know the trading side is similar, but has also recruited PhDs.

skins 1, thank you for your comments, I very much appreciate your side of the story. I agree with the focus on international people, and well rounded people, especially with globalization kicking in as it has in the recent past.