Exiting Military Career Path
Whats going on fellas,
Initially I was going to exit out of the military with 4 years of W.E. and then pursue directly into a top 20 MBA to either get into consulting or IB after business school. After doing some further research, I want to be on the buy side in the long run (even a botique or middle market and under would be great).
It seem's as though opportunities for post MBA IB associates is very small without prior experience in banking or buyside W.E. So I was wondering if this course of action would be plausible in order to cramp in prior IB/buyside WE before getting an MBA to maximize my chances....
Cut my commitment early with the military at 3 years w.e and directly head into an internship (small bank/ botique/ middle market) which will hopefully accumulate to a full time offer which I will work as an analyst for 1-2 years. If after 1-2 years without a pre-mba buyside offer I would pursue my mba which I will try again and apply for buy side opportunities.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to be upfront and deliver some cold hard truths. Thanks!
Are you even in the military? If not, then you def are planning too much.
If you are currently serving, there are plenty of vet friendly programs but be forewarned that the FO slots are filled mostly by academy grads and/or combat vets.
Lastly, likelihood that you go from MBA to buy side w no experience will be close to 0 unless your military involved technology. Don't worry about your age BC the vet programs @ IBs are bringing most vets in as Associates.
What IvyLeague said. Getting directly into FO is hard unless you already have an Ivy League or equivalent academic background(which includes service academies) or some other "prestige" military experience such as being a Navy SEAL, fighter pilot, submarine officer, Special Forces, or so on.
As far as getting into the industry from a top 20 MBA program it doesn't appear to be too hard. I haven't encountered many straight to buy side success stories, but I have run into people who were able to network their way in after some time working in the industry.
Still shoot for it. even if you fall short you're still going to "fall" down to some opportunities that are still pretty objectively great and may allow you to get where you want eventually.
Here's a few things you need to do NOW:
1) Before you do anything else get in touch with an organization called the Wall Street Warfighters Foundation. They've got a significant network of veterans in a number of BB, EB, and MM firms and in every division plus access to the people who manage military placement programs at the BB firms. Thanks to them I've been able to attend benefits such as shadowing events with only a few people in attendance. You also can get help with training and licensing which will give you a big advantage if you try to get an internship without being in school(which is extremely difficult for most people).
2) Start writing veterans associations at your prospective schools. They'll give you a much more honest assessment as to how well your resume will fit into the program, what the program is like, and what the opportunities are like than will almost any internet forum or school admissions team will.
3) Get ready for the GMAT early. Even if you don't go to school some firms still want to see a high score. If you're still a long ways out from taking it start by going over to the problem bank on GMATclub.com, pick out 5-10 500 level math questions, and solve them. If they're too easy pick harder questions the next day. Do this daily, making sure to review a different topic every day.
4). PM me. I'm starting at a top 20 program in about a month from now and am affiliated with the Warfighters.
Thanks for the insight! Yes I am currently in the service and closing in on my 3 year mark. Not a service academy or ivy league breed so that's a ding right there. I have top ratings from my senior raters so far. I'm not in combat arms but work in the logistics branch (very quantitative and fast paced, sustaining a battalion of 500+ soldiers is harder than you'd like to think). After I take my GMAT this month, I'll be reaching out very soon to individuals to look for guidance. Any more tips will be greatly appreciated!
Also:
http://service2school.org/
I would not worry about the age. I personally know two 27-year-old analysts, one of which has military experience (enlisted with three years experience). While I personally have no advice that I can share, let me tell you this: the military network on Wall Street is strong. Trust me, the guy who I know reached out to officers and members of other branches, and none of them cared that he had less experience, was enlisted, served in another branch, etc. They all went to bat for him.
Thanks for the input everyone! Would coming in directly as an analyst after 3 years W.E in the military have a larger opportunity for buy side offers than say going to B- School directly after the military and then going into IB as an associate?
The military support is a lot stronger than I thought. I definitely feel more comfortable and encouraged with the insight. About the work culture.... how many b.s. briefings/meetings covering over slides that you made last minute which the big man skips over anyways(or intensely scrutinize on the smallest details) do y'all have to go through(plenty of these in garrison...)?
It really depends on what you do as an analyst RE buy side interest. If you get into banking then sure but based on your background, I doubt you'll get IB offers straight of military. Never hurts to try though. With that in mind, MBA to IB associate then sell side might be in the cards.
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