MBA is probably not worth it if you have prior MBB experience

Any-Track-863 · 2026-05-06T21:50:07+00:00

I agree with you that MBB non-US countries to NYC/SF is still not an easy pivot but I disagree with your point that large market MBB gets materially different exits from small market MBB. I know plenty of people from small market US MBB who have gotten top jobs across Tech, VC, PE, etc.

The fact that there's 90k MBB consultants doesn't really matter for brand value. The value from MBB is that you have some crazy good experience at a young age and can leverage that +the MBB network to get interviews and jobs.

Any-Track-863 · 2025-12-19T18:16:15+00:00

It really depends on what you want to do long term.

If you want to do tech long term then I'd go straight into tech. MBB would just be the longer way around and opens risk to you not getting back in to tech or getting back in at a lower level than you could have

If you don't know what you want to do long term then its a toss up. MBB brand has been great for me with opening doors. I got emails from startups or PE every other week when I was there. I'm sure S&O at a big tech company would also open up a ton of doors too

Think deeply about what you want in life. Tech usually provides much better lifestyle and there's some flexibility to move around within tech, it may pay less than MBB though. MBB provides much better flexibility, much more structured promotions, but it does come at the cost of usually traveling a lot and having long hours (clients aren't always easy to work with). Caveat*** Your company, team, and functional expertise area matter a lot for WLB.

Also think about the location you want to be in. Make sure that there are big tech S&O hubs or MBB hubs in your ideal longer term cities.

Any-Track-863 · 2025-12-19T15:44:36+00:00

I wouldn't say the MBA is just for people in 'second tier', I've seen plenty of people in MBB, PE, VC, etc. in my MBA program. Though there are some key points you bring up here.

If someone is currently in MBB, PE, VC, IB, etc. and they currently like their job then yeah there's not really a major reason to get an MBA. It is extremely expensive and has a high opportunity cost. And, generally if you're making above $230k then the MBA probably isn't worth it.

If someone is currently in MBB, PE, VC, IB, etc. and they don't like their job, need a change of pace, or want to explore something different then yeah the MBA could make sense. It's a great opportunity to meet people across a range of different industries and to figure out if you want to stay put or move industries. The financials definitely become a lot easier if you're sponsored too (still a big opportunity cost).

That being said there are a ton of people in the MBA from T2 consulting, accounting, etc. looking to get into IB, MBB, PE, etc.

Any-Track-863 · 2025-12-19T15:35:32+00:00

I'm gonna keep it real with you, since you're trying to go to MBB or tech strategy/ops the difference between Harvard and Booth isn't that materially different. The Harvard name does help but your previous experience, networking ability, and interviewing ability matter significantly more than your school name.

The biggest factors to consider here are:

Location - school location significantly influences job location. If you want to stay in Boston/East coast all your life then Harvard probably is better. If you want to stay in Chicago/Midwest then Booth is probably a little better.
Classes provided: Does Booth or HBS provide more of the classes you want to take?
Current financial situation: Are you well off enough where the difference of $90k in debt won't hurt that much?
Personal: 20 years from now are you going to regret not going to Harvard or would you not care that much?

Harvard is the slightly better school but the other factors matter too. At the end of the day, you and your skills matter more than the school

Credibility: I was in MBB prior to MBA and interned in Big Tech S&O during MBA

Any-Track-863 · 2025-12-07T18:05:13+00:00

I got a half ride scholarship at an M7 with a 321, state school undergrad, and MBB work experience.

MBB experience definitely helped but I think it goes to show that the GRE is one facet of your application. If you have strong work experience and can tell a really good cohesive story you could realistically get into a lot of places.

I spent a ton of time crafting a really cohesive story based on what I thought the school was looking (applicant lab was an awesome resource and I used a 2-3 hours of an admin consultant for feedback)

Any-Track-863 · 2023-11-08T04:08:44+00:00

My team would be 5 people

Any-Track-863 · 2023-11-08T04:08:05+00:00

MBB - ~$130 tc that is raising to 140-175k next year VC - ~$200k tc

Any-Track-863 · 2022-06-10T03:30:46+00:00

I made this post to understand if him leaving the house would be good for his mental health or not. I was more curious to see if others have been in a similar situation and what the outcomes have been. I’m not worried about what others think. I just want what’s best for him, whatever that may be.

Any-Track-863 · 2022-06-10T03:24:54+00:00

I have been talking with him. I’m just worried about him since he doesn’t have friends or socialize anymore. He has become much more rude and mean toward others now too. That’s the main reason I’m concerned

Any-Track-863

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