I’m one week away from completing my MBA from a big state school. I’m interesting in taking a $1,500, 5-week online alternative investments course from Harvard Business School Online in order to add an eye grabber on my resume and hopefully show recruiters and hiring managers that I have the investment skills needed despite not having direct investment experience. is this worth it or will this certificate get laughed at by IB and PE firms?
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The certificate you are talking about will have a huge "online" word right next to the Harvard name. For the purposes you've mentioned (having a fleshy paper), better go with 'Oxford Alternative Investment Management Programme' - costs twice as much, but the certificate is identical to what you'd receive for their in-house non-degree training.
But honestly, DON'T DO IT for the sake of showing that you have investment 'skills'. An online course will not give you 'investment skills', full stop. Nor is alternative investments knowledge really needed by IB and PE. People who would like to work at alternative investments do a CAIA charter.
Pursue that programme if you are genuinely interested by a KNOWLEDGE, not a shit of paper to put in your resume. If not, then it's not worth it, as simple as that.
Yes you will get laughed at. IB and PE firms hire full time MBAs and think that online courses like that are a joke and a money grab for the university.
Do this free one instead:
http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/webcastvalonline.htm
then Venmo me $750 and venmo Prof Damodaran $750 thanks
Thanks, saved this one in bookmarks. Have a silver banana!
Total cash grab by HBS, don't do it. Ppl are more likely to throw shade at your CV when they realize you wasted money on this nonsense.
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