2008 Applicants - What is your post-mba career aspiration?

Question

Just want to see what everyone applying this year is hoping to do after they are done with school. Of course this will probably change for a good number of us, but it should be interesting nonetheless. Sometimes it seems that I am the only mba hopeful who doesn't want to go into VC/HF/PE eventually, so it'll be interesting to see the overall breakdown.

If I missed the category you feel is most applicable to you, choose other and let us know what you plan to do.

Note: I had to combine some categories due to exceeding the max # of poll options.

rhyme · Answer

General Management for me. Though ideally, entrepreneurship. 

I've been waffling a lot on this over the last few weeks, asking myself if I wouldn't be better off in some finance job at a hedge fund or doing asset management or something, but when I see the recommended reading, or what I'm supposedly passionate about, my eyes gloss over. I need to keep reminding myself to stick to what I'm interested in. Its hard not to get a little sidetracked by the masses at times, but I come back to the same issues with almost all the finance jobs - they are long on analytics, short on management and thus have limited exit opps. Internal strategy roles, general management positions, rotational leadership programs, international placement, etc - these seem more well suited to me. 

I'm practicing digging my heels in now, so that when I'm hit by the onslaught of different opinions and dissenting voices come September, I'm more well prepared to hold my ground.

abhishek.sardana · Answer

That's actually a nice thoughtbut i disagreeon the part that finance jobs are short on management. They might have a little less exposure than the general management but on absolute level they have much exposure to management. 

Correct me if I am wrong!!!

ishcabibble · Answer

I'm planning to focus on marketing - specifically either brand management or market research, I'm not sure which yet. However, the more that I learn about operations management, I'm starting to consider that too...

I think that I'll need to do what  Rhyme 's doing and just stay the course and focus on the careers that I know I'll be better suited to.

pelihu · Answer

Finance jobs have exposure to management, but do not generally utilize management skills themselves. I generally think of people in finance as individual contributors, rather than part of the management team (whatever the endeavor). Neither is positive or negative, but relates more to personal preference.

abhishek.sardana · Answer

That is true of the finance jobs in the initial post MBA years. But when they are promoted, they get good management experience. Isn't it so?

zakk · Answer

Marketing for me. General Management would be second and I'd certainly take my share of org. behaviour classes as well.

bherronp · Answer

I voted for high tech. I want my role to be general management, but I want to do it in the high tech industry. 

I too can hear the siren song of the financial industry. Especially when I read articles about Wall Street bonus season. I know I could handle the pressure and the hours, but I don't want to put my wife through that and we want to live in the west.

2008 Applicants - What is your post-mba career aspiration?

What is your post MBA career field aspiration?

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