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It's admirable you're considering the military at this stage in your life. However, and current military guys would be able to speak to this better than me, you would seem to be giving up a lot to pursue this dream. In addition to the steep pay cut, you can't be certain that you would be slotted in a role that would help you down the line (10+ years). Imagine if you got stuck learning HVAC or something of that nature; it may be harder to spin this skill set for a top business school.
If you truly want to just 'do your time', it's awesome that you're considering this route. The world would need more people like you. I'd just think long and hard before you commit six years of your life to that, as you wouldn't reap the real benefit of retirement at the 20+ year mark. Some ideas sound better in theory than execution.
Last thing: I can't say enough how much I appreciate the military members. They make it possible for me to coast along at this cushy desk job. I often ponder the what-if of serving the country, too.
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Officer is cake. The post 9/11 would probably pay for your mba at a top school since they generally have good yellow ribbon funding.
I am extremely interested in advice on this as well. I developed a strong desire to serve the country in the last 4 years... unfortunately/fortunately I was in school during that time. Recently accepted a SA offer and plan to do banking for 2+ years Also B school is my LT Goals...
So I guess the question for me is, are there opportunities to serve in the military and perhaps be able to apply the analytical / leadership skills gained in the business world / IB.
I've always been fond of Jack Ryan
you can do finance work, but it likely won't be the same as IB... more like budgeting, accounting, etc.
personally, i would not be happy doing a job in the military that i could do outside the military for more pay.
If you actually examined their compensation, specifically their deferred compensation (post 9/11, pension, healthcare, tax break), military members are compensated VERY well. If you can name another career field that will let you send your kid to a top school for free, let you retire with a very generous CPI protected pension and healthcare for life and only tax a very small portion of your total compensation package... You're talking about doing basic supply chain management and logistics, so I'm all ears as to where you'd go doing that kind of work for that kind of compensation.
How old are you now? Service commitments out of OCS are only 3 years long (starting from the day you commission). If you are right out of college you could easily return to an MBA program prior to turning 30. The biggest issue would be actually getting accepted into OCS and getting a ship date. That may take some time depending on when you start the process and which branch you're interested in.
I'm 24 (turning 25 in the summer) and interested in the USMC OCS program. If I'm not mistaken, the minimum service commitment for ground option is 4 years. If I get accepted next year (best case), I'd be just about 29 or 30 when I finish the 4 years. I briefly talked to an OSO, and it seems recruitment has gotten better for officers, so it's made me more optimistic this can actually happen. However my PFT scores are nowhere near competitive (yet). I think it will take me AT LEAST six months to score a ~290. That, however adds time to the equation.
However, people typically go to b school in their 20's and going military after banking is very atypical. Would that be a hinderance to b school?
only 3 years? Is this active and which service?
Army is 4 years, and I'm 99% sure Marines are as well. Are you talking about Navy or Air Force maybe?
Army OCS commitments are 3 years from commissioning, so add in Basic and OCS and you're generally at about 3.5
Also interested in this. I am about to graduate UG and will begin working as a credit analyst at a well known firm, one that I think has very good connections with b schools. Would 1 (maybe 2) years in credit and then OCS/3yr active duty be enough work experience for a top 10 MBA?
It wouldn't be unusual for you to apply to an MBA program at the age of 30. I'm a current Army officer going to b-school this fall, and I'd say most vets I met with with at schools were about that age.
Best of luck on your OCS goals. It sounds like you've researched it quite a bit so I assume you know what you're getting yourself into. I joined with no intention of making the military a career, so I know where you're coming from.
Nobody realizes this, but when you factor in BAH (non-taxable housing allowance), money saved on deployments, free health care, etc, you actually end up with a shit ton of disposable income as a young single military officer. On top of that, if you max out your GI Bill (say attend b-school in SF or NYC) you're getting close to over 150k in benefits (you also get a housing allowance with the GI bill and assuming the MBA program you attend has yellow ribbon). I feel like my friends in the military 2 years out of college had more disposable income (adjusted for cost-of-living, etc) than my analyst friends in IB. (this gap obviously widens exponentially in favor of IB the longer you stay in)
I'm going the opposite route as you (officer after undergrad, now in bschool headed into IB as an associate), but i dont think you'll be hindered in bschool at all. I knew a few guys who worked in finance and then joined and are now back in school, working in finance again, or doing something totally different. there are several +32 year old vets in my class that aren't having any issues at all finding jobs. Also, if you're thinking USMC, your commitment would be four years, not six, so its not as long as you think (assuming you're not an air contract).
As for "getting into business school", if you're a veteran, this obsession with HSW or M7 or bust is a myth. A veteran at a T10-15 (assuming he is competent and personable) is in an infinitely better recruiting position than your standard straight white male at a HSW. (PE is probably an exception given the specific finance experience thats required).
I wouldnt be concerned at all about your age, except for the likelihood that you might be married by the time you get to school which could limit your career options.
I would go for it -- no matter what your experience is like, you're going to come away much more mature and with a better perspective on life. PM me if you have any other questions.
incredibly helpful, thank you. i'm pretty set on doing it, but i just wanted to get some perspective on the extent of the opportunity cost in thinking through this. i appreciate your time.
final question... (and i prefer to ask this out in the open for others. i hate it when i'm reading threads and the answer to a question i have was PM'd.) any personal / insider thoughts on how the general military commissioning / recruiting climate is lately? is the evolving geopolitical landscape forcing the brass to reconsider more officers? or are lower numbers just a fact of life as a result of sequestration / budget cuts?
the recruiters with whom i talked were pretty optimistic, but they're recruiters...
dont have much insider info on recruiting as I never worked in that capacity but the competitiveness does ebb and flow quite a bit. Some years it takes a high GPA and near perfect PFT to get an OCS spot while other times it seems like anyone with a pulse can get a shot. Not sure what it's like these days.
I was four years active USMC.
OCS is the commissioning source designed to respond to the annual difference in need. Thus while USMA and ROTC will essentially yield the same number of Officers every year, OCS can vary drastically. The process can also take a lot longer than you may be anticipating - you will need to pass both a regional board and a national board for active service. If you pass the first and not the second you will likely be considered for reserve service.
I went through this process in 2011 and waited 3 months for the regional board which accepted 50 percent of applicants. The national board was a couple months later (held quarterly at the time) and accepted 12 percent of those that passed the regional. I would imagine the climate is similar today as in 2011 so important factors are really nailing the board and ensuring you have maxed the PT score. The best resource out there for this is armyocs.org. It's full of verified OCS commissioned officers that help people like you reach your goal. I don't know that I would have made the cut without that site.
Former Army here. Not marines but I suggest you PM me.
My advice? Don't. The "serve your country" itch is somewhat overstated. You're going to find relatively few opportunities to deploy at this point in time, most of your "service" is going to be in shitty rural towns, and there isn't much upside if you're already an IB analyst.
One other thing to consider is that, speaking from my own experiences as an officer, the idea that you're "defending your country" is very dubious in practice. 95% of what you do is going to be routine training, consulting for host nation forces, or filling in mind-numbingly tedious paperwork and powerpoint slides. The adventure and altruism side of things can be more effectively met through Peace Corps: you'll go to more interesting places and get to have a more immediately positive impact on people's lives.
However I should also mention the positives. The networking benefits are immense, you will gain an enormous amount of supervisory experience that very few of your MBA peers will have, and it will make your resume dramatically more interesting than it is now. Also it's worth pointing out the Marine corps is a noticeably more aggressive organization than the other branches of service, and has a more loyal alumni base.
In regards to the service to country part, I've been told the same thoughts from an acquaintance who was an Army Iraq veteran. However, when I think about banking or buy-side roles, I feel like those more self-serving, and I want to do something with a little more meaningful. Perhaps I'll think differently if I was in the military for as long as you have been. Maybe I'm starry eyed, but I do understand the grass is not always greener.
The whole rural town thing is why I'm staying away from the Army OCS program haha. Marines make it more likely I'll be close to the ocean. My Army bud warned about this actually.
I'm a Navy Officer. Initially enlisted then went to college through an enlisted to officer program and now serving out the remaining two years of my five year obligation. I'm 29 and I will be 31 when I get out. My plan is to go to top 15 MBA for career change.
Agree with everything Bigass_Spider has said. I have had some amazing experiences and as a Navy officer probably had more adventure than most (driving ships to foreign ports, managing weapons/gun systems, working with Sailors) but my day to day job is very much a management and supervisory role.
I still believe in the service aspect of being in the military and yes even after 12 years of cynicism I still believe it (even if little) and I love working with the young Sailors (as cliche as it sounds). Personally I have found my experiences rewarding and it's a joy when you work for a great Commanding Officer. You do learn a lot about leadership, both good and bad. Even if you are not an expert practitioner, you will learn to recognize effective leadership and in turn improve your own leadership and management style. This is probably the most valuable experience from the military.
I know at least a couple people who are / were cynical during their service. My enlisted Army bud has called it the "ultimate love-hate relationship." He doesn't regret joining, just hates where he was stationed for the past four years. I'm hoping the experience is better as a Marine and as an officer.
I'm an active duty Army officer and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.
I did OCS after college with a three year service obligation. The Army paid of 65K of my student loans, entrusted me the lives 40 Soldiers in Afghanistan, and gave me a platform to experiment with leadership methods and project management. I've hung around for a couple more years and now have the Post 9/11 GI Bill to pay for my master's degree as I transition this upcoming fall.
It was the best choice I have made in my life. The friendships, the challenges, and the opportunities have been second to none. You won't have the type of salary that most people on this website are looking for and most of your day will be spent managing Soldiers with everything that entails. But you will have opportunities to test yourself in ways you couldn't anywhere else.
Let's say you did join the Army: you'd go to basic training as a Specialist with 18-40 year old recruits from all over the country. It's an experience for sure. You'll then attend Officer Candidate School. You are given opportunities to lead and trained the Army procedures and tactics. You compete throughout the school and are ranked on an order of merit list. You pick your branch. We had every slot available when I did it. You can branch Infantry and pursue Ranger school, etc. You could branch Aviation and fly helicopters. You could pursue Ordnance and become an explosive ordnance technician. Their are great opportunities to match your interests, whether its combat arms or logistics. You shape your experience.
Man I wish this was true for me. I had 80k debt from grad school before I joined and they canceled the SLRP program just days before I swore in - worst part was that when my recruiter contacted me to let me know I had made it I was off hiking the Inca Trail. Had I gotten back sooner I'd be a debt free man now. Who knows if the program is back right now, but I would guess now seeing as they don't really need incentives right now.
Thanks for advice. I know the salary drop for me would be steep. That's definitely the hardest part about this decision...
I'm focusing primarily on the Marines, but I know the other branches have more resources, job openings, etc. available. I'll take a look at all of the other branches if I don't get past my first selection board.
I'm applying for Army OCS now. Took the ASVAB and did the MEPS physical last week.
Side note, I met an Air Force enlisted reservist who has a civilian job at Texas Pacific Group doing about ~70 hours/week. So it can be done, although I'd rather go the full time route. If I don't get into OCS, I may consider reserves or National Guard...it would either have to be that or go enlisted. Really should have done ROTC in college, but fuck it, they haven't invented a time machine yet.
Speaking of which, best advice in general I'd give aspiring Army officers is to be very good at Powerpoint and Excel.
Yes, I'm dead serious. Most jobs you'll spend a majority of your time assembling Powerpoint slides to report on your unit's activities. It's not as bad in the Marines but still a big part of your day to day life.
Second I'd recommend going into a more technical field like logistics or intelligence as opposed to infantry or armor. The culture in most support units is better, and you get to work on more interesting problems like (couple of real life examples) planning air shipments for an entire region of Afghanistan or managing ports.
NoTime Could you please let me know how did go??
I am thinking of the exact same thing. About to join a BB full time in a month, have always wanted to join the military, specifically the Marines. I think investment banking give me a relief about my career, in that I know I can get a decent job and be in a good financial situation. After considering most of the exit opps, I realized I don't naturally like investing, and I am not very sure about others, but I am sure I wanted to join the military, be in a combat branch (or logistic/intel). I want to be deployed and be on the battleground.
I don't think I will every consider military as a career, but this thought of being a solider (military in general) has always been with me since I was very young. I don't worry so much about the paycheck because I have always thought whatever money you make as a junior level analyst is minimal compare to what you will earn later, if anything, I worry that delaying these 4-5 years will make me behind on my career, especially I want to work in the technology industry such as TMT or industrial tech. 4 years is a long time for technology scene to change.
But, I am doing it, running my 3 miles, which is the hardest part of the physical exam for me.
PM'd
Going from IBD to the Military (Originally Posted: 07/29/2017)
Would really love some more insight if anyone has gone from banking into the military. Serving my country has always been on my mind, but an analyst stint at a respected investment bank will allow me to have more job prospects after exiting the military.
More specifically, I would like to serve in one of the SEAL teams and complete Navy OCS before shipping off to BUDS. Also, I would plan on taking 6-8 months off after my 2-year Analyst stint to get into peak physical condition.
Any advice would be much appreciated - even if from a non-military background.
The amount of officer slots in the naval special warfare is extremely limited and many would have been already filled by the Naval Academy and NROTC grads. I am not say you will not become a SEAL officer, but you have to be realistic about the odds. So you will need to be sure that you want to serve regardless where the Navy might place you.
http://www.onionstudios.com/embed?id=1324
Just going to leave that there for everyone's enjoyment.
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