Best route to Corporate Finance for Veteran, 700+ GMAT, 3.5+ GPA at non-target MBA

Quick bio:
Military veteran
Non-target undergrad
Short stint at 2nd-tier consulting firm
700+ GMAT
Non-target MBA, 3.5+ GPA

Looking for a job with upward potential but some level of work-life balance. Considering corporate finance for that and debating two routes:
1) Graduate a semester early and try to jump into an analyst/senior analyst role.
2) Aim for MBA FLDP programs in the Spring.

1 or 2?
Am I a good fit for Corp. Fin.?
Should I be looking somewhere else?

 

If you post in another thread, and someone posts after you, "to the OP"; will you not be confused?

When a plumber from Hoboken tells you he has a good feeling about a reverse iron condor spread on the Japanese Yen, you really have no choice. If you don’t do it to him, somebody else surely will. -Eddie B.
 

How non-target?

Are you doing an internship/why haven't you done an internship?

What do "short stint" and tier 2 consulting mean? (tier 2 varies by person)

What kind of veteran are you? (Crossing t's and dotting i's for 4 years or leading an 8-man team in a combat zone, or somewhere inbetween?)

Doubt GMAT matters to anyone you want a job with.

I don't know, are you a good fit for corpfin? Or did you mean can you get a job in corpfin?

I can imagine very few scenarios where graduating early would be beneficial.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

Undergrad - very non-target B-school - T40 Internship: consulting boutique - discovered the financial analysis is the most enjoyable thing I'm doing and don't want to travel so Corporate Finance sounded good. Short stint at tier two: 1 year at a Big 4-type firm Veteran: somewhere in between - most people are impressed when I explain what I did but I'm not Rambo Good fit? = what kind of shot do I have? Sounds like the MBA FLDP programs are the best bet but I don't have a traditional FP&A background.

 
Best Response

I have no experience here, but some thoughts anyways:

I think it's going to somewhat depend on if you specialized in finance/accounting for your MBA program. At a top 40, your MBA is going to be most valuable regionally. Are there any F500s in the immediate area, in the state, or in the region (select http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2012/states/CA.html)? If so, there's a chance they'll recruit at your school.

Whether or not you're a good fit is going to vary by company. I'm guessing you'll probably at least get interviews. Just apply everywhere, to development programs and "normal" corpfin positions. Start reaching out to recruiters/alumni now. If you wait the extra semester that gives you more time to pull something together. Also, the military experience is going to be a good thing. It might be worth applying to the big defense companies. It looks really good for them to hire ex-military (to an extent though, and you'll likely be competing for these jobs).

It could be worth trying to get an off-cycle internship, if b-school isn't killing you too hard. Fish around a bit, not sure how that works.

Good luck, hopefully someone who knows more than I do will stop by.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

If you have an MBA your undergrad is almost entirely irrelevant. Do you think anyone cares that you went to Ohio University if you have an MBA from Mendoza or something?

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

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