whats the best MBA concentration to get into

Question

I was curious, if anyone could tell me what is the best MBA concentration to get into. My interests are in a job that has promising job growth and a good salary. (New york city area)

EBM · Answer

That is very vague and doesn't really say what you're interested in, just tells us you want to make money and not have to worry about unemployment.

If I posted "what schools should I apply to?" or "what kind of car should I buy?" with no amplifying information, I wouldn't expect to get much good help.

Vault's MBA career bibles were pretty helpful for me to learn more about MBA career fields, given that I don't know a lot about them due to my non-traditional background. But it's still going to depend on what you like doing and what you're good at. Picking something simply because it's a hot career field is a good way to be unhappy or unsuccessful.

guard88 · Answer

I understand what you are saying. However, I won’t pick a concentration or career choice simply on salary and job growth. I just want to start with a strong and ideal foundation for a career choice. Then I will look at all the details.

EBM · Answer

Again, it depends what you want to do. What interests you? What jobs fit with your skills and experiences? What is your vision for yourself 5 years from now or 20 years from now?

Plenty of schools will give you foundations for general management and the basics of accounting/marketing/finance/leadership, but beyond that you need to have a better picture of what you want to do. Some schools are better known than others for producing I-bankers, CEOs, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, consultants, private equity guys, etc.

You'll have to be able to do a better job of convincing the AdCom why you need an MBA if you want to get into any top-tier programs.

bakfed · Answer

Management consulting with McKinsey.
Investment banking with Goldman Sachs.

Best of luck!

Av · Answer

I agree with this recommendation. If you're just beginning to research the post-MBA career opportunities, you may as well look into the two most popular career choices: investment banking and management consulting. While IB and MC both pay very good salaries, very few people stay in these jobs for their entire career. Investment bankers seem to average 80+ hours/week, earning around $200k in their first year. Management Consultants average around 60 hours/week, not including the time they spend traveling 3-4 days per week, earning around $150k in their first year. Top Investment Banks Goldman Sachs JP Morgan Chase Morgan Stanley Credit Suisse BofA/Merrill Lynch Deutsche Bank Barclays Capital UBS Citigroup Lazard Top Management Consulting Firms Top Tier: McKinsey & Co., Bain & Co., Boston Consulting Group (M/B/B) Other: Parthenon Group, Booz & Co., A.T. Kearney, Deloitte, Monitor, L.E.K., Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, Oliver Wyman, and MANY others. Wetfeet offers a decent introduction to some of the more popular careers and industries for MBA's: https://www.wetfeet.com/careers---industries.aspx

southernstunna · Answer

clearly finance OP, have you not seen American Psycho.

But seriously, finance unless you are not a true alpha male.

3underscore · Answer

Wow - I take a week away and the outstandingly unhelpful southernstunna comes into my domain.

OP - You really need to think through what you want to do with yourself more. To deal with all the finance recommendations, as a finance professional I would not be so sure it is the place of great wealth for the next ten years. Which is fine if you enjoy it, but the money chasers are going to leave because regulation and the torch-and-fork mob are going to make sure it doesn't happen.

There are plenty careers that pay well. But doing something you actually find interesting really matters, especially in the first five years when you are working yourself to death for a relatively under-paid salary.

strikethree · Answer

https://www.careers-in-finance.com/

Is also a nice place for some info. (also emont already mentioned vault)

Really, a simple google search is all you need. After you get a feel for each career option, then you can look at specifics. (this place is a great tool -- you just need to search through the threads)

I'm also of the belief that if you are good at what you do, money will come to you. Placing into IB or consulting (top consulting companies) is extremely difficult so you can't just "choose" a field half-heartedly based on just growth and compensation. (Yes, money plays a huge role but not everyone can handle these top jobs and there are also a lot of other options out there) Without at least a little background, it's just too difficult to recommend anything.

Hjort · Answer

I would suggest starting from the opposite direction:

What actually interests you? 
What would you be good at? 
Do you already have experience in a given field?

tigerbeck · Answer

I would say no concentration and ideally wait a year or so before you attend if possible. I learned a lot about myself through the application process so maybe you'll figure it out that way. If you're already in and ready I'd say be a generalist until you find what you enjoy and concentrate on that.

I tend to feel sustainability and green energy will be a lucrative and expanding industry but that is the future and you need to do what you like. That's why I want an MBA, to get a job I like.

Becky

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whats the best MBA concentration to get into

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