Feedback on Columbia Career Goals Essay
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25 Sep 2013, 13:18
Hey guys, I am really struggling with my career goals essay for Columbia. First, here is my quick profile:
32 yrs old
1 year software engineering, 2 years banking at BB, and 7 years private equity
3.2 GPA
720 GMAT
Now, for my career goals essay I was thinking of three choices but can't decide which is best.
First Option: Say that I want to go to bschool and then go back to PE and eventually start my own fund.
Second Option: Based on my interest in tech field and the connections I have to people in silicon valley, i want to first work in Business Development at Google and then found my own venture capital fund investing in technology services companies
Third Option: I want to transition to a different role on the buyside from private equity to a hedge fund / mutual fund.
Now, the first option i am not sure the adcom would like the 1st option given that I am 32 yrs old. I may have difficulties coming out as a 35 yr old graduate and getting a job in PE. However, it is my current field, so maybe they would like the continuity?
The second option has pros and cons. the pros are that I do have pretty strong connections from my sister and brother-in-law who both work for well-known startups in the silicon valley. I also was a computer science major in college and have a genuine interest in the tech space. The cons are that I don't have any VC experience and that I have never worked in a tech focused banking or pe group, although i have analyzed some tech deals in the past.
Option three is the most genuine answer. I do want to work at a hedge fund after business school. I am also a value investor and have read the Margin of Safety, Intelligent Investor books. Columbia has a strong value investing history so this fits with their school. However, I don't have an hedge fund experience, so i'm not sure how the adcom would view it. Also, i'm not sure if MBAs typically go to school in order to join a hedge fund....so it's not clear to me whether stating hedge funds as my short term goal would be an automatic ding.
Anyways...as you can see I'm really confused! Any help would be greatly appreciated!