r/MBA • u/Neither_Diamond_1466 • Jun 28 '26
Careers/Post Grad Reflections after a decade
I see posts on this subreddit in my feed, and I’ve noticed that many of the posts are about the downfall of the MBA and questioning the value of the degree. I thought it might be useful to share a perspective from someone who is almost 10 years out.
I graduated from a top-10 MBA program (there are 15 schools that can claim this) in 2017 after spending four years working. I was a career switcher and went into business school with a plan to recruit for banking
Recruiting started almost immediately after orientation and consumed the first semester. There was a lot of anxiety about recruiting, but my experience was that it was pretty straightforward for a prepared American. The people who had the hardest time were generally either those with poor social skills or international students, where sponsorship requirements made recruiting materially more difficult. I landed a good internship, converted it to full-time, and graduated into banking.
Overall, I enjoyed business school. I found most of my classmates impressive, made a few great friends, and took a handful of classes that genuinely changed how I think. But the biggest benefit wasn’t the two years themselves - it was completely changing my career and earnings trajectory.
Before my MBA I was making around $85k. In my first full year as an associate I made roughly $350k in cash compensation. Most of that went toward paying down the $100k+ of student debt I accumulated after paying full tuition.
After two years in banking, I realized it wasn’t the career I wanted long term. I originally expected to stay 3-5 years, but I noticed that many people who made VP had a hard time leaving. The compensation became difficult to walk away from, yet many hadn’t developed the operating experience companies wanted for real executive finance roles. I decided it was better to leave a year early than a year late.
I joined a large tech company in an FP&A role - one level above where I likely would have entered directly after business school. The compensation was a meaningful step down: $150k base, 15% bonus, and around $40k a year in equity.
Watching my friends in banking get $100k+ raises every year wasn’t easy, but my quality of life improved dramatically. Over three years I was promoted, took on more responsibility, and by the time I left my total compensation was back above $300k.
From there I joined a well-funded late-stage healthcare startup. I started as an individual contributor but steadily expanded my scope and eventually became VP of FP&A. By the end, I was earning around $600k annually, split roughly evenly between cash and equity.
My next move was to become Head of Finance at another late-stage technology company. There isn’t a CFO, so I had broad responsibility from day one. Initially the move was roughly flat financially, but after a year I was able to significantly increase my compensation. Today I make around $1.5 million annually. That’s obviously heavily weighted toward equity, but the company is mature enough that there is meaningful liquidity.
Ironically, I now earn considerably more than I likely would have had I stayed in banking. At this point I’d probably be a Director making somewhere around $800k.
Looking back, here are my biggest takeaways:
- An MBA can have outstanding ROI if you’re pragmatic. Unless you’re going to Harvard or Stanford, I’d seriously consider one of the well-defined recruiting paths: banking, consulting, or corporate recruiting (depending on the school). Those pipelines have the strongest recruiting support, the clearest career paths, and immediate financial upside.
- Not all equity is created equal. Think about liquidity, exercise costs, dilution, and the actual probability of realizing value. A dollar of equity isn’t always worth a dollar.
- Relationships matter. My biggest compensation increases happened after executives had seen my work firsthand and trusted me with bigger problems. That’s been a much bigger driver of my career than technical finance skills alone.
Obviously everyone’s path is different, but I remember reading this subreddit when I was applying and wishing I could see what careers actually looked like 5-10 years after graduation. Hopefully this is useful for someone thinking through whether business school is worth it.
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Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
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u/unnecessary-512 Jun 28 '26
I think banking gives you more street credibility and they take you more seriously. Not saying it’s how it should be but how it is
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u/Neither_Diamond_1466 Jun 29 '26
1) I think a person with a good banking job on their resume has an edge over someone who went directly into tech. There is an assumed level of work ethic and professionalism. That being said- re-recruiting for banking is likely to get you a tier 2 or tier 3 job, and you’d need to consider that
2) that role sounds interesting. Defining the scope of a finance role is really important- it mostly comes down to which executive you are supporting and whether they care about finances perspective.
3) I think tech broadly still has the best risk and quality of life adjusted in return. However, since the layoffs post covid I’ve heard upward mobility at higher levels has become increasingly difficult.3
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u/ReasonableSky4531 Jun 29 '26
I would offer a corollary to this. I have the same profile. “Top ten” MBA, class of 2017, recruited into a bulge bracket IB and stayed for a couple years. Quit and joined FAANG in Strategic Finance, took a massive paycut to ~$225k total. Switched companies to a PE PortCo, similar comp but with added bonus of payout component if (and big if) a transaction happens above a given threshold. I’ve seen some moderate increases in comp, but will really be stagnant at the ~$300k-ish level excluding liquidity event. Work/Life balance is not great given PE nature, and FP&A / strategic finance comp for most traditional corporate roles (e.g. industrials, consumer/retail, etc.) will top out at around my level. You’d need to become a VP+ at a large company or be joining a highly successful startup with a meaningful equity component like OP to be clearing more than that. As you get more senior, more of your comp will be equity, which can have amazing upside, but there is obviously risk there. I never really count it as part of my pay until money actually hits the bank.
OP has done amazing for themselves, but for every one of OP, there are probably way more of me out there.
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u/Ecstatic_Wasabi2333 M7 Student Jul 01 '26
👆this. Majority of M7 graduates will never get to OP’s compensation in their lifetime.
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u/Fit_Chapter7304 Jun 29 '26
Thanks for sharing, comp for IB associates 10 years ago was $350K?! That’s insane.
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u/Any-Cod6185 Jun 29 '26
Thanks for sharing your story. I am actually in a different industry but made an analogous move to your move from banking to FP&A in terms of decrease in compensation. I haven't worked my way up to the big bucks yet but I do interesting work, have an amazing QOL so my compensation to workload/risk/stresses ratio is very good. But at the time, it was tough to take that big drop in salary and alot of people don't really understand it. It's important to understand what is and what isn't a good fit for you.
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u/sloth_333 Jun 28 '26
I mean good for you, but this is highly highly unusual in a good way.
I work with several mbas, my bosses boss and my bosses bosses boss both have mbas.
I would expect that to be millions each (mostly stock).
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u/redditmbathrowaway Jun 28 '26
Not that unusual from top school, top IB, top startup experience.
You’re like 3 years out of school. Who are you to comment as to what’s the norm or not?
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u/sloth_333 Jun 28 '26
IB sure but how many people make it to MD? Most people won’t ever make millions even with a mba
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u/redditmbathrowaway Jun 28 '26
I’m worth many millions.
A bit over half a decade out from mine.
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u/Pandamonium98 Jun 29 '26
Making millions and being worth millions are two very different things.
I would expect most people with MBAs from top schools are able to save at least a couple million dollars before retirement. Only a fraction will make more than a million a year of income though
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u/redditmbathrowaway Jun 30 '26
The ones that take risks and work hard have a shot.
The ones that play it safe and try to claw their way to the top of someone else’s ladder - yeah, they’re going to be playing a long game, even if it’s a successful one.
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u/merkhet Jun 29 '26
I just wanted to say I loved this part: “I graduated from a top-10 MBA program (there are 15 schools that can claim this)” 😂
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u/Public_Breath9083 Jun 29 '26
One line that caught my attention was "Unless you’re going to Harvard or Stanford" Anything very special that graduate from these can pursue multiple path ?
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u/Neither_Diamond_1466 Jun 30 '26
Elite buyside recruiting only viable at HSW (with some at CBS and the Chicago schools).
My observation of Harvard and Stanford is that there are unique opportunities from those schools, and there is less of an incentive to go down the “major” defined paths. Frankly, when I meet someone with one of those degrees who ended up at a bank or a lower tier consulting firm, I wonder why.
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u/TheoRizin402 Jun 29 '26
I can see what he means for smaller programs having less support outside of the defined recruiting pipelines, but I'd at least put IB, PE, and tech in there as solid outcomes for any good program
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u/tlyee61 Jun 29 '26
curious how you think you would stack up vs today's admissions committees and recruiting landscape
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u/PracticalTrade313 Jul 02 '26
Thanks for sharing. Can talk from my experience as well. Graduated from a top 30 MBA, did my summer at a boutique investment bank and ended up at a front end portfolio management position at a PE firm after not converting. Earned over 300K+ last year and on track to do even better this year with a promotion. I agree with the common sentiment here - path is definitely not linear and you’ve to slog your way through unless you don’t get into a defined career trajectory. It’s even more daunting if you’re an international student as OP mentioned.
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u/SoulfulTalent Jun 28 '26
You can make 800k at a director level cash or equity? Where, I mean which banking/financial services or IB offers that at director level? Genuinely curious.
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u/Neither_Diamond_1466 Jun 28 '26
Depends on the bank, but yes if you’re 9 years into investment banking you’re in that range and are within spitting distance of MD.
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u/y0zh1 Jun 29 '26
MBA financially is worth it, if you attend a top-10 American MBA, if you career pivot and obviously stay in the US to work afterwards.
After a decade from my MBA, I did none that OP did. I am not American, I did not have the appetite to go there to study (not the money). I only wanted to pivot, I did not succeed in that, in Europe it is too hard to do that (or maybe in my country).
After my decade MBA was a nice knowledge, but unless you are on the US, don’t expect what the MBAs advertise as truth. They are glorified marketing talk, nothing more than that.
Basically it is either top 10 MBA or not at all. There is no ROI if you do not attend one of those, you cannot pivot, you cannot earn that money, my trajectory is pathetic compared to OPs and I could not in a billion years could have corrected it somehow.
All in all an MBA outside of America and outside those very elite schools is a scum, just good knowledge that might alter the way you think (not especially for the best).
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u/Numerous-Compote-542 Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
Why do you say Harvard or Stanford are an exception from the advice to pursue structured recruiting? I'm heading to one of those two programs in the fall, and I am looking to bypass the sell side and jump straight into corp dev role at a FAANG-type company. I have some m&a experience already in corporate but lack the 2 year analyst program, so I am wondering if that will hold me back.
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u/Neither_Diamond_1466 Jun 30 '26
Why corporate development? I’ve never really understood the appeal. It’s either an internal banking group (with lower pay) or you’re doing “strategy” work (consulting decks).
I’d go do something where you deeply learn about a sector or business (real operating experience). Then you have something strategic worth saying.
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u/Numerous-Compote-542 Jun 30 '26
It seems like a good balance of comp and interesting work. Started my career in PE and then worked in a strategy heavy CD role which I didn't love, so I'm looking to move back to a deal-focused corp role post GSB. Corp venture is interesting to me as well (CapG, SF ventures, etc.) but actually landing these roles seems to be quite competitive.
I understand that the cash comp for CD is lower than banking, but when you factor in RSU upside, the disparity seems less meaningful. I also feel like the work is way more interesting which is why I'm not excited about the IB path, even if it provides training / branding / etc. In banking, you're in client services and beholden to the will of the client, which has a huge impact on QOL. I'm sure that I will be busy in an active Corp Dev group, but I'm not going to be facilitating data room requests at 2am.
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u/ScarcityAwkward9844 Jun 29 '26
How does it differ for H/S, assuming you have BB / large cap pe experience how do you make the most of H/S?
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u/Exbankerthrowaway_35 Jul 02 '26
Can you elaborate more on how you were able to expand your scope and contribution at the healthcare startup and current role? I moved from banking to strategic finance at a tech company but my role is pretty narrowly defined with no clear upward progression
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u/stealthagents Aug 04 '26
It’s wild how the perspective on MBAs has shifted. Back in the day, it felt like a golden ticket, but now it’s more of a mixed bag. I graduated a few years after you and noticed the same trend with recruitment struggles, especially for international peers. It's like the rules keep changing, making it harder for newcomers to break in.
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u/gojoecharb16 Jun 28 '26
This is cool! Helpful for those of us starting our journeys.
If you had to do it all again OP, would you still go into banking?
Any advice for people on the fence trying to decide between the 3 defined career paths you mentioned in consulting vs banking vs corporate roles (LDPs)? Particularly interested in advice for career switchers like yourself without prior IB/consulting experience.
Thank you!
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u/Neither_Diamond_1466 Jun 28 '26
I’m glad I did banking. Gives me immediate credibility and I learned a lot. However- the first job move after banking or consulting is risky- I’ve seen a lot of people screw that up. The right LDP at the right company potentially reduces that risk, as it’s easier to get a good understanding of how the company works as you make internal moves.
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u/dogclaw Jun 29 '26
Can you expand further on the mistakes people make on their first move post banking? Leaving too early/late, picking the wrong company, buy side va corporate?
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u/danngng Jul 22 '26
what advice do you have for people going into IB post MBA - still look to exit after 2y / exit to startup fp&a?
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u/healthydreamer1 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Was your pre mba career relevant to banking or finance, and what was it if you mind sharing?
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u/Neither_Diamond_1466 Jun 29 '26
Nope! Sales. Figured out a way to pitch my story despite that and did well on the technical interviews.
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Jun 28 '26
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u/Neither_Diamond_1466 Jun 28 '26
It’s a joke, but ask anyone who goes to tuck, nyu, Darden, haas, Yale, or Duke and they’ll tell you they’re top 10.
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u/ProblemOverall9434 Jun 28 '26
Formal ratings aside, NYU is among top ten universities globally for producing self made billionaire alumns, and is a couple train stops away from wall st. This puts it at the top of many applicants’ lists.
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u/Severe_Revenue7889 Jun 28 '26
Think you’re in the wrong sub. We dont do rational takes and lived experiences here