I don't know whether I read this in Robert Reid's book on his HBS experience, or in Snapshots from Hell (both of which I heartedly recommend), but I'm starting to think of the MBA less as a noble intellectual pursuit and more as a two-year recruiting exercise.
Just as the top schools are competitive, so are the top jobs. And if these books have any truth to them, I think I'm in for another set of Darwinian selection processes that make b-school adcoms look like wimps.
Every prospective i-banker knows about Goldman Sachs, every prospective consultant knows about McKinsey, and I'm not going to be the only one who thinks that working for the most prestigious firm in the field would be 'kinda cool'. And this time, I'm going to be competing with people at Kellogg and all the other top schools -- people who made that first cut of getting into b-school. People with unparalleled determination, intellect, ambition, and credentials.
Once you start in the fall, I hear it only takes a few weeks before your focus is steered towards jobs. Wanna get into Goldman? Better show some focus and determination in the classes you take and the extracurriculars you do. Better show up on all the recruiting events. Are you still not sure whether you want to be an i-banker when you grow up? Better figure it out quickly if you want a good job.
I've decided to brush up on my i-banking knowledge before b-school. I've been thinking of getting CFA Level 1 before b-school (how is that for focus and determination, Mr Goldman?), but the first chance to sit for the exam is December 2007, right in the middle of Kellogg. Doesn't seem like a good idea...
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2 comments:
Good luck with your studies. However, an MBA is not everything - the opportunity costs, as well as the tuition costs, might make it an expensive pursuit which might never result in your investment being recouped.
Well written article.
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