MBA out of undergrad
Alright monkeys, I need some advice. After lurking on WSO for what seems like an eternity, I found myself needing some advice that I couldn't find posted by other members already. I'm in a situation right now largely placed upon me due to my financial situation. I come from a non-diversity, middle-class family. While we don't struggle, I don't come from a place where I have a large pool of money. Because of this, I went to a local, non-target university within the network of a more reputable school in my state. I got a full ride and should be out of school with no debt. I'm in my last year of undergrad now working as a client associate at a top 10 PWM firm. I'm looking to pursue a career on the buy-side, but I know my credentials don't exactly put me in the best position to do so.
With that being said, I have a sizable scholarship that I was awarded my senior year of high school. It should cover over half of an MBA from a reputable school within my state with the other half covered by a savings account I have. The only catch is it disappears if I don't use it straight away. As most schools have transitioned to fully-online, or hybrid at the least, would it be worth my time to pursue an MBA out of undergrad while working in my current position? I am fairly young—I'll be 20 at the time of graduation—so I figured I have several options to consider when moving on with my career. I'm just not sure what my best choice of action is considering the circumstances.
Thanks
I'd advise you to not do an MBA straight out of undergrad, but a masters in finance from a targeted (Vandy, MIT, etc) program instead. Those who do an MBA directly out of undergrad are often put in the 'recent undergrad bucket' when they start looking for a job post-MBA. So, you'll spend 2 years and a lot of money to recruit for a role a recent college grad could fill (with the pay to match).
Hmm... can I ask how does someone, let’s say with a few year of experience (trading) decides to go back to uni to do a masters in computer science vs doing an MBA when it comes to full time recruitment? Any insight from both sell side or buy side would be great, thank you
Sorry to hijack thread, but you seem well informed haha
Totally different degrees. They can't be compared.
All the top MBA programs want ppl w/ work experience (WE). Chances are getting into a top MBA program w/o WE are slim (though does happen). On average you'll find students at the top MBA programs are ~28 years old w/ at least 5 years of WE. This of course varies quite a bit depending on program.
Comparing a masters in comp is to a masters in finance (MSF) is more of an apples to apples view. MSF degrees are very common for students directly from Uni w/o any WE and often can be a great way to get into IB after.
Cheers,
Thank you
This is a tougher question. The key point is, will you be recruiting against students who did the full time CS degree straight out of Uni? Or will you be recruiting against more tendered ppl?
If your competition is recent CS masters grads who are straight throughs, it seems you’ll be treated as such.
If you are looking at roles a bit more senior, you need to make the case that your background does matter and you should be hired at a higher rate. The problem w/ that is those role are going to look at you a bit askew. You’re just finishing a grad program (so you’ve been out of the mkt for a while) and you’re a recent student, the case can be made but will be a bit tough in my view.
Penn has this online part time MCIT program that I’ve heard great things about. Going part time and using this to ‘level up’ seems to have worked well for many to transition into roles more CompSci driven but not nearly as junior as a straight through masters student. Not sure if you’re looking at the program but would suggest checking it out.
Best of luck mate!
Will the MF give me any sort of edge in finding a position relative to getting an MBA straight out of the gate? Especially considering my undergrad degree is underwhelming compared to those coming from a target school.
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