Early on in my accounting career (approximately three months in!) I realized that function and industry were not for me. The work was too repetitive, there was no upside for taking risks or going the extra mile, and the work had no tangible impacts for good. Despite my disillusionment I persevered, completing the rigorous Canadian CPA program and researching MBA programs concurrently.


Now that I have received my CPA I have decided to take the plunge and apply for business school. My goal post-graduation is to land an investment banking role in NYC, with a focus on infrastructure finance. This goal combines a life-long interest of mine (trains, planes, and automobiles) with some pre-MBA skills (CPA-level financial analysis) and an impactful industry that has the potential to battle climate change (I am especially interested in financing public transit projects and electrified passenger rail in North America).

The reason I am applying for MBA programs now, and not in two or three years when I would have management experience, is twofold. First, by 2026 my young daughter will be starting school and my wife and I would like to have another child. I would like to be settled in my post-MBA school so I am not uprooting my daughter and moving her to a new school, or having another child during business school. Second, since a professional network is so critical in the finance industry I do not want to waste valuable years expanding my network in Vancouver, Canada, only to forfeit all that hard work when I move to a different city in a different country on a different coast.

Despite my lack of managerial experience and fewer years of professional experience overall, I believe there are several differentiating factors working in my favour. First, I grew up in a rural part of Canada working on my family's farm. This taught me the value of hard work and has given me a diverse perspective, and I believe this background may be less common among applicants. Second, I played football throughout university and won three Canadian national championships in the process. This cut into my undergraduate study time and may have negatively impacted my GPA, but I learned invaluable leadership and teamwork skills during that time. Finally, I have always invested a lot of time in my community, coaching two different football teams and mentoring youth during my undergraduate studies, serving on the charitable giving committee at work and helping raise funds for cancer research and local homeless shelters, and volunteering with and serving on the board of a local non-profit bike cooperative.

To prepare for a career in investment banking by developing relevant skills I transferred to my firm's mergers & acquisitions advisory group at the beginning of August. I believe this demonstrates my commitment to pursuing investment banking and the experience will come in handy during recruiting. I am also hopeful that my strong GMAT score and extracurriculars will help counter my fewer than average years of professional experience and poor GPA.