Small VC/Incubator vs. international development aid internship for sophomore summer?
Hi,
I really want to land an MBB/another consulting firm offer for junior summer. I was not so lucky with sophomore summer recruiting and only started to recruit once study abroad plans fell through. I managed to get an internship at a VC(more incubator than VC but it invests seed funding) and a European international development agency(not a US one- think GIZ, DFID, DANIDA). I will be working in a developing country for both. I'm really not sure which one to choose. I'm currently leaning towards the int'l development one because it's just better known than the other internship/was harder to get. But I also feel like working in the public sector is not what I am interested in and I'm really interested in entrepreneurship/start-ups-the incubation firm. As long as it helps with recruiting, I don't mind doing either.- I'm sure I would learn a lot in either one. I go to a top target but I have mediocre grades. Any insights would be appreciated.
An additional note: if the concern is displaying interest in business or consulting- I've done a lot of work in my school's consulting club and have also been part of another business club at school. My concern is that working in international dev would just not fit into my narrative since I've been so focused on biz.
I'm a bit confused. Why did you even apply for the international dev position if you're not interested? Do you just apply to things that are hard to get?
Your interviewers will see right through it if you're just hopping around from place to place trying to look impressive. You should take whatever you're actually interested in and what will excite you and provide you with a solid path afterwards. Consulting firms don't have some magical formula that measures how hard an internship was to get.
Consider: what if you change your mind on consulting within the next year? Tons of people at "top targets" set this as a goal simply because it's what everyone else is doing and kids in your peer group have been too sheltered to know any better. If you change your mind on consulting, would you prefer to have the incubator experience? Or international dev?
To clarify, I'm definitely interested in international development. I've always wanted to do something in development economics and economic growth. I'm just equally interested in both. Sorry for making it seem like the dev role I was not interested in at all.
Magni qui deleniti consequatur dolor et. Porro est est rerum aspernatur et maiores non. Qui sed rerum vitae autem laborum. Distinctio accusantium consequatur sunt est.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...