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squigglekins
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Joined: 12 Oct 2013
Last visit: 11 Dec 2015
Posts: 53
Own Kudos:
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Given Kudos: 8
Location: United States
Concentration: Strategy, Social Entrepreneurship
Schools: Haas '17 (S) Anderson '16 (A) Duke '17 (WL) McDonough '17 (A) Yale '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 720 Q46 V44
GPA: 3.67
Schools: Haas '17 (S) Anderson '16 (A) Duke '17 (WL) McDonough '17 (A) Yale '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 720 Q46 V44
Posts: 53
Kudos: 37
Non-Profit to MBA 27 Oct 2013, 10:48
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I come from an exclusively non-profit background, however I am hoping to earn an MBA to catalyze a transition to the private sector. By the time I apply I will have accrued nearly five years of experience at an international non-profit. My concern is that I might end up with an MBA from a top school but have limited private sector options because of lack of relevant work experience. Is it a genuine concern to accumulate too much non-relevant experience? Is it possible I would be setting myself up for post-MBA unemployment?
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crackgmatg
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Location: India
Concentration: General Management, Strategy
GMAT 1: 680 Q46 V36
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WE:Research (Telecommunications)
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Non-Profit to MBA 27 Oct 2013, 22:03
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squigglekins
I come from an exclusively non-profit background, however I am hoping to earn an MBA to catalyze a transition to the private sector. By the time I apply I will have accrued nearly five years of experience at an international non-profit. My concern is that I might end up with an MBA from a top school but have limited private sector options because of lack of relevant work experience. Is it a genuine concern to accumulate too much non-relevant experience? Is it possible I would be setting myself up for post-MBA unemployment?
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Hi squigglekins,

You have absolutely nothing to worry about. About your concern, isnt that what the MBA program is there for? Trust the school which you go to for these needs. B-schools do that to all of us : change our work-expertise and make us better leaders.

Cheers !!
Please press KUDOS button on the left if my post helped you..
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squigglekins
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Joined: 12 Oct 2013
Last visit: 11 Dec 2015
Posts: 53
Own Kudos:
37
Given Kudos: 8
Location: United States
Concentration: Strategy, Social Entrepreneurship
Schools: Haas '17 (S) Anderson '16 (A) Duke '17 (WL) McDonough '17 (A) Yale '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 720 Q46 V44
GPA: 3.67
Schools: Haas '17 (S) Anderson '16 (A) Duke '17 (WL) McDonough '17 (A) Yale '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 720 Q46 V44
Posts: 53
Kudos: 37
Non-Profit to MBA 28 Oct 2013, 04:33
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I honestly do not intend to be rude, but it seems to me that the response I have so far is more geared toward getting kudos than anything else, so I'd definitely still be interested in further responses that a little more substantively engage with my question. If you need additional information about my situation in order to make an honest assessment, please let me know!
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domotron
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Non-Profit to MBA 28 Oct 2013, 04:41
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squigglekins
I come from an exclusively non-profit background, however I am hoping to earn an MBA to catalyze a transition to the private sector. By the time I apply I will have accrued nearly five years of experience at an international non-profit. My concern is that I might end up with an MBA from a top school but have limited private sector options because of lack of relevant work experience. Is it a genuine concern to accumulate too much non-relevant experience? Is it possible I would be setting myself up for post-MBA unemployment?
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Do you have a career goal in mind? For instance transitioning into consulting is definitely possible with an MBA from a non-profit background. A lot of people head into an MBA wanting a career change. Not having a private sector or business background will not be that much of a hinderance once you get in.

An example I heard from Said's Careers team was a high school teacher from UK who managed to transition into investment banking in Hong Kong.
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squigglekins
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Joined: 12 Oct 2013
Last visit: 11 Dec 2015
Posts: 53
Own Kudos:
37
Given Kudos: 8
Location: United States
Concentration: Strategy, Social Entrepreneurship
Schools: Haas '17 (S) Anderson '16 (A) Duke '17 (WL) McDonough '17 (A) Yale '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 720 Q46 V44
GPA: 3.67
Schools: Haas '17 (S) Anderson '16 (A) Duke '17 (WL) McDonough '17 (A) Yale '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 720 Q46 V44
Posts: 53
Kudos: 37
Non-Profit to MBA 30 Oct 2013, 03:40
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domotron
squigglekins
I come from an exclusively non-profit background, however I am hoping to earn an MBA to catalyze a transition to the private sector. By the time I apply I will have accrued nearly five years of experience at an international non-profit. My concern is that I might end up with an MBA from a top school but have limited private sector options because of lack of relevant work experience. Is it a genuine concern to accumulate too much non-relevant experience? Is it possible I would be setting myself up for post-MBA unemployment?

Do you have a career goal in mind? For instance transitioning into consulting is definitely possible with an MBA from a non-profit background. A lot of people head into an MBA wanting a career change. Not having a private sector or business background will not be that much of a hinderance once you get in.

An example I heard from Said's Careers team was a high school teacher from UK who managed to transition into investment banking in Hong Kong.
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Thanks for your input. I have only thought of my goal in fairly broad terms right now. I would like to try my hand at working at a traditional private firm and if consulting is the strongest possibility for making that transition then I would be interested. I'm also interested in potentially returning to non-profits at some point further in the future, with an MBA and for-profit experience under my belt.

My decision to go for an MBA has mostly been guided by a desire to learn the skills they offer. I have some work to do yet on figuring out the next step after that.
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domotron
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 [1]
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Status:Current Tuckie!
Location: United Kingdom
Schools: Tuck '16 (M$)
GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V36
GMAT 2: 740 Q48 V44
Products:
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Schools: Tuck '16 (M$)
GMAT 2: 740 Q48 V44
Posts: 538
Kudos: 209
 [1]
Non-Profit to MBA 30 Oct 2013, 04:46
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squigglekins

Thanks for your input. I have only thought of my goal in fairly broad terms right now. I would like to try my hand at working at a traditional private firm and if consulting is the strongest possibility for making that transition then I would be interested. I'm also interested in potentially returning to non-profits at some point further in the future, with an MBA and for-profit experience under my belt.

My decision to go for an MBA has mostly been guided by a desire to learn the skills they offer. I have some work to do yet on figuring out the next step after that.
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Not a problem. Consulting is definitely an industry that takes people from all kinds of background.

I am not sure where you are in the process. However it is important to have at least some idea about where you want to go in order to develop a shortlist of schools you want to apply to. This can be as broad as marketing or consulting or finance. This is important because while you can pick up the core skills at any good MBA program, they do vary in terms of which industries they place well into.

P.S. Not to do all the leg work for you but check out Bridgespan. It might appeal to you with your non-profit background
https://www.bridgespan.org/about/Our-Mission.aspx
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squigglekins
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Joined: 12 Oct 2013
Last visit: 11 Dec 2015
Posts: 53
Own Kudos:
37
Given Kudos: 8
Location: United States
Concentration: Strategy, Social Entrepreneurship
Schools: Haas '17 (S) Anderson '16 (A) Duke '17 (WL) McDonough '17 (A) Yale '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 720 Q46 V44
GPA: 3.67
Schools: Haas '17 (S) Anderson '16 (A) Duke '17 (WL) McDonough '17 (A) Yale '17 (D)
GMAT 1: 720 Q46 V44
Posts: 53
Kudos: 37
Non-Profit to MBA 01 Nov 2013, 04:16
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domotron

Not a problem. Consulting is definitely an industry that takes people from all kinds of background.

I am not sure where you are in the process. However it is important to have at least some idea about where you want to go in order to develop a shortlist of schools you want to apply to. This can be as broad as marketing or consulting or finance. This is important because while you can pick up the core skills at any good MBA program, they do vary in terms of which industries they place well into.

P.S. Not to do all the leg work for you but check out Bridgespan. It might appeal to you with your non-profit background
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Haha, yes it should probably be something I figure out myself, but seeing one example is very helpful in envisioning the possibilities, so thanks a lot. I will apply in the first round of next year, so my plan until then is to shore up the quantitative aspect of my application while also honing in on my desired focus, in turn narrowing in on which schools I will apply to. So I would say I'm very much at the beginning of the process, but I have some time. Thanks once again for your response. Very helpful
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