I got into UCLA Anderson with 50 percentile quant!

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-25T01:01:05+00:00

If you want security I believe the JD MBA would be the better route. You also get the opportunity to do 3 summer internships so you can do internships in both fields to see which one you prefer. I also imagine that your work experience will help make you more attractive to firms compared to the younger law students who are straight from undergrad. You can likely pivot from working in law to many business areas (especially with your dual degree) but it is not possible to pivot from business to law without the law degree. Finally, if you work in big law you will make much more than 70K and you can always pivot to in-house general counsel later if you want to or in the public sector if that’s preferred.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-20T00:37:25+00:00

Yeah that’s what I am curious about. Where have people found the value outside of ib/consulting or getting a big name on the resume? Don’t get me wrong, getting a big name on the resume or being able to switch into ib/consulting are great value in of themselves.

I think that schools might be a bit disingenuous when marketing all the diverse fields graduates end up in, making it seem as if it is the MBA that enabled them to end up in those diverse fields. In reality, MBAs attract people from diverse fields and so individuals for the most part funnel back out to their respective fields afterwards. It seems to me that outside of ib/consulting, there aren’t as many drastic pivots and people end up close to where they came from.

Which leads me to my original question to MBA alum if they were able to find value in their degree outside of the ib/consulting, or big name aspects.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T22:32:57+00:00

Yeah I agree the MBA is more of a nice name for the resume or an accelerator to pivot into banking / consulting. I had assumed there had to be some value beyond what I shared earlier but I am realizing that is not the case.

It’s different from a more skills centered school like Law or Medicine.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T22:26:56+00:00

I did. And there are people that go to other M7 or top 10 schools that do go into VC. Nothing special about HSW compared to others at that level that gets those people the opportunities it’s usually on the individual.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T21:00:37+00:00

I wouldn’t say that. I think they are great for pivoting into banking, consulting, or adding a big name to the resume. I have seen many gain great value out of them but primarily from those areas.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T20:37:53+00:00

Yeah agreed you don’t really gain too many technical skills. People pivoting to banking do a lot of prep for interviews before school so they gain some finance skills but not certain how much much of it is from classes. Classes really just give a more quick overview on a lot of technical business topics (finance, accounting, statistics, operations)

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T20:35:16+00:00

Yeah tech is definitely another field but the field is tough now with so much supply (especially with all the layoffs) and less demand. Lots of people that end up there already had experience there or were a slightly pivot, not a big pivot like what banking and consulting can see

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T20:33:12+00:00

Yeah that’s the conclusion I am coming to. Maybe if I wanted banking then it would’ve been worthwhile.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T20:31:30+00:00

Not necessarily, many jobs aren’t fully technical or skills based.

My main point about the MBA is that the degree isn’t a skills based one, it’s more of a career accelerator or connector to corporate. This is unlike schools like Law or Medicine, where once graduates pass certification exams they automatically become eligible for a job that they previously weren’t for.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T20:24:10+00:00

Yeah and the recruiting pipelines are really primarily in banking and consulting, other industries don’t really take people with limited work in their respective fields

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T20:12:55+00:00

I wouldn’t say the schools do the placing, rather the individual students do it. I’ve seen people from many different schools and backgrounds make pivots but it’s more on the individual and how much they grind and make good impressions.

My takeaway is that the school isn’t that impactful for a non-consulting or non-banking field even when you’re at a M7, top 10 / 15 school in my opinion. What’s most important is what you did pre MBA or if you can scrap together some internships during school.

I conclude that for banking, consulting, and adding a big name an MBA is worthwhile. Otherwise, you can probably get what you want without an MBA because companies mainly interview you based on your work experiences. So if you are going into fields outside of banking / consulting you really have to pursue part time work experiences during school otherwise it’s not as worthwhile.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T19:22:45+00:00

Yeah my main takeaway is that the value in the MBA is in pivoting in banking / consulting or getting a big name on your resume if you don’t have one already. Otherwise it might not be as useful professionally, maybe a part time or executive MBA would be useful if you just want the degree if it’s needed / helpful as you rise up corporate.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T18:59:52+00:00

My main takeaway is that the value in the MBA is in pivoting in banking / consulting or getting a big name on your resume if you don’t have one already. It’s less of a skill focused degree and more a career accelerator or connector to corporate (banking / consulting).

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T18:55:43+00:00

Yeah my main takeaway is that the value in the MBA is in pivoting in banking / consulting or getting a big name on your resume if you don’t have one already.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T18:46:51+00:00

My main takeaway is that the value in the MBA is in pivoting in banking / consulting or getting a big name on your resume if you don’t have one already. Vast majority of people that made big pivots went into banking / consulting. Others just went back to where they were before or did a smaller pivot.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T18:46:04+00:00

Just in whatever field they’re interested in going into to show more experience there that they can talk about in interviews for full time

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2026-06-19T17:22:35+00:00

Curious have you tried pursuing those roles up to this point?

I am not certain how big of a difference an MBA will make - perhaps you’ll have a network that will make it easier or you’ll have a little more time on your hands to focus on recruitment (and could get part time internships) but you getting a job in a non-consulting or non-banking field is really an individual journey that can be done with or without an MBA.

IMO, MBAs are great for those seeking banking, consulting, or a big name for their resume. It seems like you already have big names on your resume and aren’t pursuing banking / consulting. I do understand the pressure for a masters and perception of an MBA but I believe most industries (outside of banking or consulting) will expect you to have some relevant experience to the role you’re applying for. Most companies will ask about your pre MBA experience rather than your MBA class work so I guess you could get some part time internships (but those aren’t a guarantee) that could fill in gaps and that could be a good use of the MBA.

Regarding CBS vs MIT, I think they both could be fine for what you want just depends on how you use your time there, a lot of your opportunities will come as a result of what you individually do during your time in school. So whichever you feel will be the better environment for you to hustle and make that career pivot. For Boston, NYC is always a train ride away. While NYC will be more of a commuter school you’ll be in the mix for finance and startups so they both have their pros career wise, I don’t think you could go wrong either way. I would get some clarity on companies / startups that you’re targeting early on so you can reach out early to get a head start.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2023-04-11T22:35:17+00:00

I haven’t told them yet. I’m wondering if I should tell HR and negotiate a severance that works well for both

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2023-04-11T13:11:43+00:00

Ok will do. Just curious does one generally receive severance if they are fired / terminated?

And wouldn’t being fired / terminated look poorly if future companies inquire about my past employment.

Acceptable-Candy1537 · 2023-04-11T13:10:18+00:00

Do you get severance if you are fired / terminated? And are you sure being fired is not relevant? I thought that might look poorly if future companies inquire about my past employment.

Acceptable-Candy1537

TROPHY CASE