Should I get an MBA? (Preliminary Profile Review)

Hello, everyone. Like many others, the events of this year have me in an introspective mood.

Up until last year I had been gameplanning for an MBA. Part of my reasoning was because I was unhappy at my firm — after I made a lateral move to a new firm I put my MBA aspirations on hold.

Recently I’ve migrated back into the “grass is greener” mentality I had before with regard to an MBA. My comp is more than fair in my current role given my workload and I’m happy in my current city, but I feel like I’m doing myself a disservice by not seeing if I can swing it in a more prestigious career path. I’ve been in public finance since college and worry about getting pigeonholed in this sector if I don’t pivot soon, although I enjoy the work-life balance this sector provides.

My question is twofold — should I get an MBA given my goals and would my background make me competitive for any top 15 programs?

Goal: Pivot from public finance to corporate IB at a reputable firm at the associate level

Experience: Three years in public finance (split between a boutique and a MM firm) - would be 4 or 5 years at time of enrollment depending on if I went for an MBA in 2021 or 2022, respectively

Education: 3.5 GPA from a top public university

GMAT: TBD - took the GMAT without any preparation in college (was considering MSM programs at the time) and scored a 690 so I figure mid 700s is achievable with preparation

Extracurriculars: None at this time, I could try getting involved during the next year

 

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