MBA or MFin to break into HF / VC

Dear fellows

I know some of you are sick of this question, but please let me repeat it again.

I have been working 2 years in consulting, a year in personal equity trading, and just joined one of the big 4's corporate finance practices (not valuation/transaction services, but M&A advisory) in Tokyo this February.

Aiming to 1) relocate to higher-tier cities, and 2) break into activist funds or VCs, I am evaluation multiple options that would be most efficient/effective.

Though I first thought of getting an MBA as I already possess a years of work experience, I came up with the idea that MFin should provide me opportunities to more-focus on obtaining required skill sets and image of "finance-dedicated-lad" compared to an MBA.

I want to get your opinions and advice regarding this issue.

Is MFin degree useless for those with years of working experiences? What about post-career programs provided by LBS and Cambridge?

Does actually MBA programme help you to get an opportunity to break into such industries? What is the advantages that MBA better offers than MFin? (I know that some people get into according to top schools' employment report, but I guess they are pre-MBA PE or BB IB guys.)

Any other recommended routes to my objective of relocation/industry change?

Just FYI, I graduated from top business school in my home country (second in prestige), GMAT 750, and currently waitlisted at INSEAD Jan-intake.

1 Comments
 

Rerum voluptatem provident quo ut perspiciatis. Reiciendis rerum architecto voluptatem illum qui. Aut expedita id itaque ut. Error eius voluptas architecto in consequatur rem deleniti.

Ut autem ut dolorum. Placeat et ipsam magnam culpa rerum. Omnis voluptate voluptatem qui deleniti magnam doloribus omnis. Consequatur excepturi eos et laudantium.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”