Best Response

Seems to be a lot of people trying to transition to PE without prior PE experience...

Look, nothing is impossible, but what you're trying to do is going to be EXTREMELY difficult (read: almost impossible). Just think about it this way: what do you offer prospective PE firms that they wouldnt be able to get from former IB / current PE professionals?

Perhaps you can use your network to gain an inside edge on a small or new PE firm. But other than good luck / fortune, I see a pretty difficult path for you without an MBA and transactional M&A work.

 

Do MBAs resonate with PE firms, or is it simply a case of your network will be bigger and thus your chances better? For me I've realized the work itself seems much more appealing.

 

Having an MBA from a top school (HBS, Stanford, Wharton) will help somewhat. But the rule of having transactional M&A work still applies. It is the single biggest prerequisite for getting a PE job.

Sure, there are some people that luck or network their way into a PE gig without a "traditional" background. But those cases are rare. And with so many people trying to get into PE (not exactly sure why, but that's another topic), it's only gotten more competitive.

 

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