MBA graduates find degree does not open new career doors

“Hi y'all! I graduated undergrad back in May 2026 and started working in FP&A this June. My employer covers about half of an online MS in Business Analytics (~$9K out of pocket), and I'm starting in Spring 2027 and expected to finish around Summer 2029. My manager is also very big on me pursing a full-time MBA down the road as well, so I'm also looking into potentially doing that as well. Hypothetically, let's say I applied in like Fall 2030 and matriculated Fall 2031 with ~5”

“Im about a month and a half into my one year mba and I am totally checked out. It’s not a top program, although graduates have had success, but it seems misaligned to my career paths. I’m about to start a Masters in Education (online, school administrator endorsement, more aligned with my career paths) and the MBA is sort of at the bottom my priorities. I had a meeting with the career person of the MBA program, and when I said my two focuses were on becoming a school administrator or gaining som”

“This here, I have a MBA and its been a rough year. Ive luckily been able to do substitute teaching and Learned the skill of AI Training and Tasking. However I decided to pivot and go into Aviation Operations, in Entry level after working 8 years in Corporate operations. I started having anxiety working in Leadership. I was even applying for roles where I would be individual contributor and was either getting ghosted or instant rejections. I took an almost 40K paycut but thats how pivots work som”

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“I have spoken with a few people who did an MBA hoping to break into VC. Some made it, but they all said networking outside the formal recruiting process played a big role. i am currently in CPG brand strategy and considering an MBA to move into consumer investing. Spending around $200k on a degree that does not guarantee the transition feels like a big decision. For people working in VC, how much does an MBA actually help compared with relevant industry experience and building the right connecti”

“Hi yall, I'm in my late 30s. Had a safe gov job for 9 + years quite and took 3 years getting an MBA in sustainability. These days struggling to find a job. I haven't been sitting still, started a small landscaping business and working on building a landscaping app using vibe coding. I definitely need to generate income in the next few months. The landscaping is focused on food producing plants and very niche but hasn't paid off yet and still not making enough to take out funds for pe”

“Hello all! What so valuable about an MBA that you can career pivot? Examples of career pivots? I eventually would like to be a CFO and I see MBA or CPA licensing preferred. Currently, working on my CPA but might go for my MBA if it would add value to my career, just interested in hearing what others have to say. submitted by /u/No_Particular_2858 [link] [comments]”

“Someone said they think I would make a good corporate strategy hire; however, I have no clue how that recruitment process works. Mind you, I am also coming from a renewable energy development background and studying for an MBA to help me cross over to the commercial side. Please may you advise on how the recruitment process goes and how best to pivot into this without necessarily having an IB or consulting background? submitted by /u/uncle_dollars [link] [comments]”

“Not going to lie job market is brutal even if yo are in M7. Ended up returning to my old boutique consulting job as I struck out of IB last year and MBB consulting this fall. Did a startup over the summer, which was cool, but they were not able to give an offer until March next year. Old boss called and said they needed people and after failing yet another interview I agreed to go back - for the same role I left with almost no pay raise.They will pay me a sign on bonus and help with relocation n”

“Anyone have experience breaking into MBB after already graduating from their MBA through the experienced hire track? I am wondering: What did you do post MBA? Does the experienced hire track open up every year for all three firms or is it office by office depending on need? What did you do to pass the screening round? I know people always say to get a partner referral but it doesn’t seem so straightforward. I’ve had coffee chats with partners before and it’s hard to be so impressive in 20 minute”

“I work in Construction as a PM and stuck just shy of 90k. I did sales for 10 years before that. Interview after interview I cannot find something to make more than 100k. I feel like I am stuck at 85k forever, any advice to break the 6 figure threshold? submitted by /u/drumnerd888 [link] [comments]”

“Context: I graduated with a BA in English Literature and a minor in Finance in 2023 (3.98 cumulative GPA). I began work for my university immediately after as a financial aid counselor and then completed my MBA this past summer (3.9 cumulative GPA). In 2025, I was promoted to Training Specialist/Student Employment Coordinator where I oversee onboarding training for new staff, developing training materials, and oversee student employment on-campus. The university I graduated from is not a T15 or”

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“I’m interested in hearing from people who completed their MBA from a Tier-3, local, or relatively lesser-known college (not top B-schools). A few things I’d love to know: - Which year did you graduate? - What was your specialization? - What was your first job/package after MBA? - What are you doing now, and how has your career progressed? - What is your approximate current CTC/income, if you're comfortable sharing? - Did the MBA actually help your career, or would you have been better off wi”

“I’m thinking about doing an MBA to pivot into the commercial side of energy and would appreciate advice from people in the industry. I’m 27, based in the US, and currently work in strategy at a software company. I’m considering an MBA with a finance focus at a school with a strong energy program, followed by a post-MBA leadership/rotational program at a large oil & gas company. The part I’m struggling with is the entry point : commercial origination, trading, project finance, investment bank”

“Has anyone managed to pivot in the same company from a role like Marketing to Corporate/Enterprise Strategy? I'm working in Marketing at a bank (personal banking side) at the moment and thinking of doing an MBA to pivot (for higher salary). Is it feasible? submitted by /u/Lovegood_15 [link] [comments]”

“I graduated from a t15 MBA this year. Been working at a F500 CPG in brand management for the past few months and will likely continue for at least a year. So far I enjoy the work. However, I’ve realized I’m still working till 7 pm many evenings, and that was one of the main pulls of CPG (WLB), and the pay is like $70k lower than MBB. I now wish I had pursued MBB consulting more seriously during the MBA. I know hours will be way worse but at least the pay is way better. I see there’s LinkedIn pos”

“My situation: 30, Atlanta, about 5 years of experience in tech (currently at a big SaaS company) Doing a dual MBA and MS in Data Science at Georgia State The data science degree is done. I can graduate with it right now. The MBA has 4 classes left, would finish in spring The question: Part of me wants to just finish the State MBA. 4 classes and I'm done. But part of me wonders if I should stop and do an evening MBA at Georgia Tech or Emory instead, since both are stronger brands. The catch i”

“I will be finishing my MBA soon in the winter and have 3 years of real work experience. Right now I’m at NONPROFIT business for transportation that pays me only 21$ an hr. Just how underpaid am I ? I do data analytics, (business analytics) but I’ve also done customer service, IT support and operations admin for this company. I feel like I hit a ceiling and I’d be dumb asf if I stayed.. what salary range would I qualify for leaving and going somewhere else vs if I stayed for 2 or 3 years? s”

“I know that consulting and Finance roles are unmatchable when it comes to good pay. but I was wondering if Sales&Marketing roles still get good money. Also what is the long term growth like in this field after MBA? Which B School should I target to get into these type of roles submitted by /u/p4st4_sauce [link] [comments]”

“I am aware that MBA graduates typically follow established career paths such as investment banking and management consulting given their high pay/prestige and exit opportunities. However, I am wondering if this has position has changed given the recent job instabilities even in these sectors. Are more MBA graduates considering entrepreneurship and starting their own company as an option? Entrepreneurship may not give the same type of exit opportunities as investment banking and management consul”

“Graduated in 2021, been five years out of the MBA. Work at a decently reputed FAANG company as a product manager. But of my five years here, I've never gotten promoted. I've always gotten great performance reviews, bonuses, and even have been put up for promotion twice by my manager, but it got denied twice by higher ups due to "lack of business case" as my product is performing poorly. Applying for higher level positions in other teams hasn't worked out. But my problem is”

“Hey guys! I’ve always thought of doing an MBA. I do want to start researching actual careers that I can do. I currently work in consulting and it’s honestly a white collar slide factory. My main issues is that people spend a full day fixating on pointless slides that honestly have no impact, just endless repetitive slides. Ofc there are pros but I always knew this wouldn’t be a long term career but a stepping stone to get key skills. I do think the whole slide crafting etc will be automated in t”

“https://preview.redd.it/69h9xh3zwdrh1.png?width=586&format=png&auto=webp&s=04c55e7fa281ab04393e1088e97aefe00813cf4c Genuinely seeking advice on my next career move. I've been unable to secure interviews with top commodity trading firms and banks, so I'm wondering whether pursuing an MBA or a Master's degree would be a good way to reset my career or serve as a stepping stone into those industries. Considering to do it full time in UK. A few questions: At this stage, are my”

“Hey everyone, I’m 28 and about to graduate with my MBA this winter and could use some advice on career direction. I enjoy business administration, but my natural comfort zone and lifelong hobby have always been on the tech side. I’ve been using desktop PCs since I was 7, love hands-on work with hardware and software, and I’m always the go-to person for troubleshooting whenever things break. I’m trying to figure out how to combine my business background with my interest in IT rather than keeping”

“MBA + Sales: I moved for a 40% hike, but now I’m questioning whether I made the right career move Hi everyone, I recently completed my MBA in Marketing & Finance and started my career at Fenesta (DCM Shriram) as a Management Trainee. After completing the traineeship, I was promoted to Channel Sales Manager . After around 4–6 months in the CSM role, I resigned and joined Birla Opus as a Territory Sales Manager , mainly because I received around a 40% hike . I’ve now been here for around 1–1.5”

“I’m looking for a solution to my career woes that makes sense for me and was curious about an EMBA or MBA. I graduated from undergrad obviously years ago and I want to know if this degree would help me pivot to something high paying and more stable. I’ve been out of work for months after working at a startup as an account executive. Every year or two I’ve changed jobs out of necessity because a) they messed with commission b) the other position is higher paying c) the writing was on the wall tha”

“Hello guys! I am a 28 yo F with 4 years of work experience in supply chain, working on a big oil and gas company. I am looking for a big change in my life and I was looking at MBAs as the best option. Dream school was Kellogg, really liked the leadership focus and networking opportunities, I was willing to put myself through the biggest debt of my life to do it since the return would be very high (was also looking into some other M7) but now with all the new policies I don’t see US as a good opt”

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“I have been debating an MBA for a few years now, and at 33, feel like it’s now or never. Curious on your thoughts on whether it actually makes sense for me, and what paths / programs you would consider. Some background: - I’m 33, single / no kids, living in NYC - I work in a super niche industry, sales in automotive supply chain. I make 215-250 a year, I think I could probably get to around 300 with this company in 4-5 years but not much higher. -undergrad degree is from a mid tier big ten schoo”

“I’m curious how things played out for people who went into an MBA hoping to make a real career change/pivot. Not just moving up in the same field, but switching industries, functions, or career paths altogether. Did the degree actually help you make the jump? Or did you find that employers still cared more about your previous experience than the program? If you were able to pivot, I'd love to know what ended up mattering most: internships, recruiting, classmates, alumni network, career servi”

“Junior in college and I want to set myself up for success once I graduate. I'm a finance major and I'm looking into getting my MBA post grad, I want to do it in Finance and Economics. I hear lots of things about schools, which are best, worse, etc. I also hear a lot about it's not worth it and just build experience. I go to a normal school, state university and I feel like some of my options are really limited. I want to break into finance and do the most I can. Super interested in W”

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“I’m entertaining the thought of pivoting my career by earning an MBA, but can’t tell if I’m being delusional or not. I’d appreciate if someone could give me a reality check on if I should even continue researching how to pursue this path. Profile : 34M, Chinese American, US citizen, based on the west coast. Also gay and a 1st generation college student if that matters Education and Scores: BA in Biology (3.61 GPA) from an Ivy League School MS in Entomology (4.0 GPA) from a Big 10 School GRE scor”

“Hey everyone, looking for some honest feedback and advice on my next career move. Background & Profile: Education: Top 25 MBA; BS in Finance from a large city school. Pre-MBA Experience (6 yrs): Accounting Post-MBA Experience (2 yrs): FLDP- 2 rotations- 1st in M&A, and 2nd in Capital. The Current Situation & Dilemma: Upon graduation of my FLDP, I'm not too fond of the opportunity available and I was misled how fast your career can go within said company with the FLDP tagline. Que”

“Hey everyone, looking for some honest feedback and advice on my next career move. Background & Profile: Education : Top 15 MBA (M7 / T15); BS in STEM (Engineering) from a large state school. Pre-MBA Experience (5 yrs): Software Engineering Post-MBA Experience (2 yrs): Strategy & Ops at a major tech company (think Instacart / Lyft / DoorDash / Uber). Work spans the full spectrum of operations in a specific niche (ex: driver dispatch at Uber). Some of my job is covering things like small t”

“Just started an MBA at T20 school with $$ and have an offer to be Head of Transformation and Restructuring at a foreign logistics firm. Will be able to save around 35K usd a year and live very comfortably, I have 4 years of post-grad experience. I still want to do an MBA ultimately. Aside from likely getting into a better school, what benefits could I gain from taking the job. I came into MBA shooting for consulting but the market doesn’t look promising, though of course i still have my chance.”

“Hello all. I am hoping someone can give me some advice here. I am currently getting my MBA from a top 10 school. Before this, I was in the US military for 10 years as an officer and gained a lot of leadership experience through some trying deployments. Before that, I got an undergraduate engineering degree from a top engineering school. While I was in the military I had the opportunity to be an instructor for three years, and I fell in love with teaching. I am trying to determine my best path to”

“I’m 32 and looking to transition into Product Management. My background is primarily in education/EdTech: 7 years in education, Teach For America alum, ~4 years in professional services/project management, and I’m currently a CSM managing a $5M+ portfolio for a large education company. I’ve worked closely with Product, Sales, and implementation teams. I’m wondering if an MBA would actually help me make the pivot or if I’d be better off trying to break into Product without one. I’m also in Georgi”

“At a T2 post-MBA, considering leaving for tech with a new opportunity that came up. What I want to know is, is 1 year 'enough' for the consulting brand/halo to be of any use? Or will it look like I simply couldn't cut it/didn't work in consulting long enough to actually glean any benefits? If anyone did a 1-yr exit, please comment below! submitted by /u/archon_lucien [link] [comments]”

so did it worked out?

“Curious what you think the highest paying career track is coming out of an MBA program — please include salary range. I am trying to determine the monetary potential ROI submitted by /u/ObjectiveOrder8382 [link] [comments]”

“Finished my MBA back in 2020. Right after that, I was in an abusive home environment that made it very difficult to leave or focus on building a career 😔 I won't go into the details here, but it meant years without a real shot at job hunting. During that time, I tried preparing for government exams (SSC, banking) along with difficult situation,since they felt more compatible with studying from home, but I didn't clear them. I left that situation about a year ago. Soon after, I did a 3-4”

“Hi, I am trying to gauge whether an MBA program is "worth it" for me. Some background about me: 1) BS in chemical engineering 2) Worked as a process engineer for two years 3) Been working as a Sr Procurement Data Analyst for one year Senior year of college, I decided to apply to a deferred enrollment MBA program at my school which is an M7. I was accepted. At the time, I wanted to transition to Consulting post mba but after working alongside/with consultants at my job, I don't like”

“Curious if anyone here has seen or made a somewhat unconventional post-MBA pivot like this. I graduated from a T15 full-time program about two years ago and went into FAANG as a Tech PM. Pre-MBA, I had a mix of tech and consulting experience. I realize that contemplating a move from FAANG PM to IB or MBB probably sounds ludicrous to a decent percentage of this sub, especially given the hours and lifestyle tradeoff. But I’ve realized I get bored pretty easily. What I enjoyed most earlier in my ca”

“I'm 44, working an entrylevel marketing coordinator role in Austin. The pay is fine, not great. I got into this field late and I know it shows on my resume compared to people who've been at it since their mid20s. I started looking at getting a degree or at least a certification to close that gap. Something that could actually move me up instead of staying stuck at the bottom of the ladder while people half my age get promoted around me. But here's where I keep secondguessing myself.”

“This feels like high school all over again but worse. I flew to my MBA 5-year reunion a few months ago. Went to a top program which has a smaller class size. Thought it'd be a nice opportunity to catch up with old classmates and be a positive, wholesome experience where people would be genuinely warm and excited to see old familiar faces. That's not how it turned out for me. It was mainly people putting on a front and subtly humble bragging to others on their cool accomplishments in thei”

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“I'm a 41 year old lawyer and burned out of litigation. Too much school is probably how I got myself into this mess in the first place, but I'd consider a MBA to pivot out of legal practice. Would a MBA be a great education and introduction to a new professional circle? Or would an older student be segregated from the 20-something crowd and out of recruiters' peripheral? Anyone on this forum get their MBA after 40 to pivot fields? submitted by /u/IcyArtichoke8654 [link] &#”

“Will it be good to do an MBA rather than masters in Journalism and Mass Communication itself....what are its scope or are there any other better alternatives submitted by /u/Aureliaaa_d [link] [comments]”

“So, my wife graduated suma cum laude from a top 3 SCM school. Landed an internship at a huge brand and did great. FT offer extended and accepted remote as a transportation analyst. She has since been recategorized as a business systems analyst but would very much like to change jobs. So qualifications are: suma cum laude from a top rated school and 3 years of experience in a large international brand as an "analyst" She is pretty wide open, but wants something very different from her c”

“I have just started my first full time job. But i wanna leave my country in the long run. So would it be better if i went after 3 years of experience or should i wait till 5-6? I graduated from the top business school and currently in a management trainee position so growth, leadership etc. wont be my biggest concern. I aim for a t15 program in the us but top ones in europe is also good enough. submitted by /u/UtileArc1947 [link] [comments]”

“I studied business at the undergrad level and was thinking once I get enough work experience and am looking to break into management I could go back to school for an MBA. I was thinking UW Seattle but if I don't get accepted I could go to UW Bothell or Tacoma instead. I don't think I really need to go to an M7 for FP&A and corporate finance management in Western Washington. I want to someday start my own business too. Other than the resume boost do you feel you legitimately got bette”

“Looking to see what people think submitted by /u/Agitated_List9506 [link] [comments]”

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“Is there anyone here who did one master's and couldn't get the job they wanted, but then did a second master's and maxed out on internships and finally got the job they wanted? Desperately wondering if there are any success stories in this scenario. I am 36. submitted by /u/Suspicious_Mine_2337 [link] [comments]”

“What kind of visa would international MBA graduates apply for if they start a company? Would they apply for O1-visa? submitted by /u/Hellofromhi2468 [link] [comments]”

“Hi! So I’m 24yo, got my MBA in May, and transitioned to a new job in a new state making nearly 30-40% more than I used to (factoring in tax benefits, etc.). Before this, I was an entry level position. The problem is, my mental health has dramatically spiraled realizing how alone I am. No matter how many friends I have, I’m struck with how I’m so far away from my family (tbh we’re in the same country, but it’s difficult to see them with how ticket prices for planes are). I also kinda hate the job”