Career Change - MSF?
Hey all,
I am looking for some advice as it relates to switching up careers towards finance. I'm not sure which specific track I want to take in the financial services world yet, but corporate finance/strategy seems like it could be my kind of thing. I have a pretty non-traditional path though.
I am currently working on Capitol Hill in DC in a Legislative/Communications role (sort of a hybrid position) in a Member office (not a Committee office). I have worked on Capitol Hill for three years. The specifics beyond this aren't really important or relevant to the career transition. I can provide some additional information if needed though.
I also went to a state school and got a 2.9 in Political Science. Terrible, I know, but GPA never really mattered in politics. It's just different. I had my fun in school and developed people skills that have served me better in politics than any textbook could have. Any thoughts on whether or not this will matter due to the fact that it is a completely irrelevant major?
After speaking with a few schools briefly, they recommended I take the GRE instead of the GMAT due to my undergraduate coursework and work experience. After taking GRE practice exams online, the average Q score was 164, and the average V score was 162. Conversion charts have this as an overall 700 for GMAT (not sure how accurate those are).
Anyways, I'm not sure if the MSF is the best route to go, and I'm also not sure which schools would be the best route to go. I really like the Georgetown MSF option since it is online and I can keep working while I get it. Plus, it's close. At the same time, it is pretty expensive, and I don't know if my undergraduate transcripts will turn them away. My fear is that if I can't get into a school like Georgetown, then is it even worth it to look at less attractive schools? I don't want to spend this money and ultimately get stuck with a worthless degree that won't open any doors for me.
My other question: Is the MSF route even the way to go if I get a job afterwords for a few years and then go back and get an MBA? So many things to consider here.
I'm just beginning to research and test the waters so any advice/information would be great.
Thanks guys.
