Career break for a few months before MBA applications.

Question

Hello,

I am an Indian male with around 4.5 years of work experience in IT.

I have taken a break from my job due to multiple reasons.

Firstly, I wanted to be with my family. My father was diagnosed with dementia, which caused a lot of stress in the family, and I had to return home to support them.

Secondly, I have been planning to pursue an MBA for almost two years. However, working in a startup has made it difficult for me to focus on my application and GMAT preparation. I believe an MBA will help me transition my career into finance, and I want to dedicate proper time to my application, which was not possible while working with my current company.

Thirdly, I wanted to take a break to introspect on what I truly want to do. This introspection is part of my MBA application essays. Everywhere I look, I see that knowing what you want is very important, and I realize that I am still figuring that out. Although I am an Electrical Engineer, I pursued this path due to family pressure. However, I have always been interested in finance. I have a stock portfolio with multiple multi-bagger stocks, and I initially took a job in IT hoping it would help me transition into finance. Now, I am not entirely sure if finance will make me happy; with some research, I have found that consulting might be very interesting to me. Thus, I decided to take a break for introspection.

Probably this might sound like a complete gone case.

But I really want to know that if this career break will create additional problems in my application and what can I do to tackle it?

admitStreet · Answer

@devashish2407 - how long was/ is the break for? Most B-schools are ok for career breaks upto 3-4 months. I'd suggest finding a job if it's longer than that. The personal/ family angle makes sense, but the GMAT prep and 'introspection' are reasons that wouldn't be viewed in a positive way. As an aspiring business/ management professional, you're expected to balance work with GMAT/ GRE prep. It can and will be difficult at times, but how well you balance priorities is part of what is being assessed. Introspection is another angle which would not really justify a break from work, at this juncture. As a strong MBA applicant, you want to be proactive, and not evasive. The last thing you want is the AdComs to think that you want to pursue an MBA in order to escape a mid-life crisis. Having said these, don't lose hope! A good GMAT/ GRE score, work-ex and compelling narrative (in essays/ interviews) can help present a strong application. Ofcourse, I'd need to understand your work-ex, EC's, career goals etc. to assess these angles better. If consulting is your calling, go for it, with full vigor! Hope this helps. Regards, Arvind Founder, admitStreet | Request a free 30-min consultation W: https://admitstreet.com | LinkedIn | E: consultingteam@admitstreet.com

MBAandBeyond · Answer

Hello,  devashish2407

Taking a break from work to support your family due to your father's illness is understandable and can be explained clearly in your MBA application. Be honest about your reasons and highlight any personal or professional development during this time, such as volunteering or online courses. Show how this break strengthened your commitment to pursuing an MBA and clarified your career goals. Strong letters of recommendation from previous roles can also support your application.

Lastly, remember that each applicant's journey and circumstances are unique, and admissions committees consider the whole picture of your application. By openly discussing your career break, showcasing personal and professional growth, and demonstrating your dedication to your chosen career path, you can effectively address any concerns and present a compelling application.

Good luck with your MBA application journey!

If you have any further questions related to your profile or want to have a 1:1 discussion with our top profile experts,  feel free to schedule a complimentary profile evaluations session with our experts  . We match you with the students and alums of top B-schools according to your background and target schools.

MBAGuide · Answer

devashish2407 Rest assured that the adcoms will do a holistic review of your profile. If the extenuating circumstances concern your health or of someone very close to you, you should always attach medical proof in the application. That aside, I do feel you have much introspection to do and also a good deal of research. It can be very hard for someone coming from IT to move into finance without any proof of prior initiative, such as a job pivot or internships in the new domain. The recruitment market is quite tough right now, and you can assume that the B-school admissions will also resonate with that sentiment. Business schools, at least the good ones, like to see that an MBA is NOT the first time someone is trying to move out of their comfort zone professionally. Top B schools abroad would be all the more wary if you pitch very steep career pivots as the post-MBA objective. If you come across as someone who does not have much clarity regarding post-MBA goals and how they align with your past and aspirations, you will likely be rejected by good schools. Consulting seems to make more sense for you, but again, it's too early to comment without understanding what you have done within the IT industry. Speak with me if you are confused, but product management or a role at the intersection of product and analytics will be a much more well-suited option. Yes, the career break can create problems if it runs past the time duration you spend as a full-time caregiver. How you can manage I have worked with many candidates who had long career breaks of 3-24 months and yet got accepted by top B-schools. If you find yourself in this position at the start of your break, you should explore a purpose that exceeds your professional interests during this time. For example, one of my mentees had an employment gap of about a year. I learned how he had lost motivation at one point because of a personal tragedy and took a career break to explore mindfulness therapy, eventually becoming a certified yoga instructor and a coach to help others in a similar mental space. He hosted tons of mindfulness and yoga camps across the country and became so good as an instructor that he was given important responsibilities in the inner circle of a very renowned mindfulness personality and philanthropist. Empathy remains undervalued unless one questions what makes life worth going through the ebbs and flows of achievements and failures. The most stimulating leg of the journey in preparing applicants with career breaks is helping them discover how they can use both professional experience and empathetic personality to conceive a meaningful purpose. That would make short-term jobs, struggles, and career trajectory well worth going through the experience. Best wishes Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alumna, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer) Founder, MBAGuideConsulting LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/aanchal-sahni-83b00819/ |WEBSITE: https://mbaguideconsulting.com/ | Message(WA): +91 9971200927| email- mbaguideconsulting@gmail.com

TheRedPen · Answer

Hi  devashish2407 ,

A break seems legit because of your personal/family reasons and can be justified well in your applications. However, your other two reasons will not be seen in a good light. We recommend discussing a strategy with you for your applications before you make the final decision.

Our MBA consultants would love to speak with you at length and discuss your profile and situation in detail. You can  schedule a complimentary call  with our team or directly connect with the team via call at +91 7780769732

MBADecoder · Answer

Hi Devashish, I am sharing my observations This is indeed unfortunate and I hope you have his medical needs under control now. I can understand how managing family members' health is very overwhelming and its a good thing you were there for your parents when they needed you. When you apply you can explain this in your essays. Sadly, dementia is long term, so once the situation settles down, you should think of getting back to work. You may have to set up the needed support systems to do so. Adcoms do not expect you to quick your job for taking the GMAT or for writing the applications. So when you do finally apply, don't even give this as a reason for the career break You don't need to quit your job to introspect on the future career path - it has to come from within. Once you know what you desire, you will have to do a reality check- do you have the experience or transferable skills to succeed in the role you have in mind. Finance is a very vast field, and in the application you will have to give very pin pointed answers. Here's an example: 1. what kind of companies do you want to work in? 2. Which area of finance and in what kind of role will you work? (some areas being: investment banking, trading, equity, corporate finance, retail banking, wealth management to name a few) 3. why will you be suitable for this role? what is your past experience or skill set that will help you succeed? 4. will you be an attractive candidate to these companies? Answers to these questions will not come to you through your introspection alone but by talking to people who are doing these jobs, current or recent MBA students who have been through the hiring cycle, and by reading up industry experts blogs. I'll also point that investing in personal stocks is not a very strong reason for building a case on transitioning to finance as a career. The skills you require in the finance areas I have mentioned above will be very different from what you would require to maintain your personal finance. Yes, it likely will, depending upon how long the career gap is. I would try not to go above 3 months. You should get back to your job as the family situation allows. You can study for GMAT in the time from now until it takes you to get back to work (factor in the time to job hunt). Namita Garg, Founder, MBA Decoder Email: contact@mbadecoder.com Reach out to us for a Profile Evaluation Helping applicants achieve their MBA dreams since 2011

ExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hello  devashish2407 ,

Thanks for writing in.

That you have taken the break for your family is something you can candidly talk about in your application; be honest about what this phase and situation have taught you; try and also showcase how you continued to upskill yourself during this period alongside gaining clarity on the next steps.

Taking the break to prepare for GMAT is not going to work in your favour irrespective of how stressful your job is; hence, if the break coincides with your GMAT attempt, the Ad Com is going to see through it.

In a nutshell, yes, the break will complicate things (a bit) for you; however, with a well crafted Optional Essay as well as a well thought out strategy in place you can minimize the complication.

Hope this helps.

All the best!

devashish2407 · Answer

Update: Thank you everyone.!  admitStreet   MBAandBeyond   MBAGuide   TheRedPen   MBADecoder   ExpertsGlobal !

Because of this invaluable feedback, I started to look for a job and got into Gartner as a Consultant - Business Analyst.

Now I will be focusing on my GMAT and try to get 705+ score. Planning to give exam by September end. 
 
I hope that should help me with my MBA applications.

Career break for a few months before MBA applications.

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