Career/General Advice for a Soldier starting MBA
Quick bio: ~30 y/o male. Majored in accounting and graduated from an avg state school with a low 3 GPA. Realized I hated accounting so I joined the military instead. Turned out to be the best decision of my life...I was a fckin loser when I graduated from college (fat, lazy, no direction, etc) but, after 7 years in SOF, I've managed to course correct a little bit and unfck myself. I'll be transitioning to a T15 MBA this fall that will position me to have a shot at every professional opportunity I could ever want, if I work hard enough.
Thing is, I'm still not totally sure what I want to do or recruit for. I've been talking to as many people as I can in every industry but I'm smart enough to know when I don't know sh*t, and I don't when it comes to careers in corporate America. I think I've narrowed it down to 2, IB or RE Development. I've spent my entire career in the military as a member of a small team of high performers whose job is to get stuff done. Both seem to offer that, they're also both fast-paced. Seems like RED offers a much better WLB and more diversity in day-to-day tasks/jobs/hats to wear. I'm just worried it might pigeon hole me a little career wise. IB on the other hand seems like baptism by fire (which is an appealing challenge) and at least 2 years of hellish hours...but you're learning the whole time and when/if you decide to exit, you can do virtually anything you want (PE seems enticing but wtf do I know)...and the pay, the pay is big too haha. However, I hated accounting so why should IB be any better, still sitting in a cubicle all day, right?
Point of this post: I don't know sht about fck and so I'd like to hear from any and everyone who has any advice to offer. Pros and cons to these fields, other career paths that I didn't mention that could be worth checking out. I know this might come across as a lazy way of doing research but relax, its just one of the many I'm attempting to gather information. Lastly, thank you for your cervix (and if you're going to drag this post through the mud in the comments, make it funny).
Start talking to people today. Vets are in IB, consulting, RE-they are usually happy to talk to others about what they do all day, prospects, etc. Every bank has a veteran network you can access by calling HR. MBB will put you in touch with their folks too. The more you talk to these folks, the better you understand the job. Recruiting starts the day you start your MBA, often even before.
You have one summer to play with-try out whatever you want; if it works out great, if not, switch. Can you ask to shadow anyone for a few hours?
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