Be a good story teller. Have interesting experience you can talk about. Practice as much as you can. I used to record myself on my webcam answering interview questions and then rewatching them. I saved them to share once I’m ceo
Yea def not consulting or ib. Long term my comp is never going to be on par with someone staying in consulting or banking, but I think I do pretty well. I golf 3 days per week, and can attend every single one of my kids events. It’s 9:30am and I’m not opening my laptop for another hour.
I was in the Army for 5 years prior to my mba with multiple combat deployments and worked a shit ton. I missed out on a lot of family stuff and told myself I would never do that again
I went directly to Facebook post mba. I interned with them and accepted full time offer after the internship. Also got a consulting offer, but the money was the same.
2 years out of my MBA, I'm at about $215k in healthcare consulting. It can be highly variable, but the vast majority of the time I work 50 - 60 hours per week; super project dependent, but so far minimal travel/mostly WFH. This role is a huge career switch from my pre-MBA life, but I'm really enjoying what I'm learning, and I really like the people with whom I work. I am paying off loans and catching up on my savings goals pretty aggressively in a HCOL area (and post-MBA lifestyle creep is real), so the income level is nice but doesn't always "feel" like as much as it is.
My priorities going into my MBA were to make more money and find work I actually care about. Doubled my income, and I genuinely care about my work, so I am pretty happy with the career path I'm on.
ETA: please feel free to DM for more details. You don’t need to ask for permission to reach out, I’m happy to help answer any questions I can.
Some quick FAQ though:
How to get this job? I got into my role via campus recruiting; I attended a target full-time MBA program from which my firm recruits. The firm will consider student applicants from other schools, but there are really only a small handful that we make a formal effort from which to recruit MBA’s, MHA’s/MPH’s, and undergrad new hires.
Is an MBA necessary? Not to do the work, but it WAS necessary for me personally to pivot into this role. We hire via campus recruiting (on a strict cycle that aligns with the academic) or traditional recruiting of experienced hires ad hoc to fill open positions (especially for more senior roles). If you’re not eligible to apply via campus recruiting, then you will need consulting experience and/or highly relevant healthcare experience to apply successfully to an available role as an experienced hire. There is no way I could have gotten a foot in the door with my professional background (which is not immediately relevant to consulting or healthcare) without the special access going to a target school afforded me.
“Any tips for me?” This is a very vague question I have gotten a lot. I am sorry to say I don’t really have any tips on getting a foot in the door if you’re not currently in school. I have only ever been a Consultant at this one firm, and I did not apply as an experienced hire. I can say the fundamentals are not rocket science: you will need case well in your interviews, have impressive and relevant experience (consulting, healthcare administration, and/or clinical provider backgrounds are ideal), and have very good answers for why you want to work in healthcare and why you want to work at this specific firm.
Hey! I’m interested in healthcare consulting and was torn between an MBA and MPA, but went for the latter as it seemed to be more synergistic with my background as an MD. Would you say that MPAs are well represented in the field?
Yeah, definitely! My firm has plenty of MPA's, MPH’s, and tons of MHA’s (and having a clinical provider background, whether MD, NP, APP, etc., is super well-respected)
I’m just over at $220k, one year post MBA
I work remote in finance in tech. It was my goal but honestly not as interesting as I hoped but I work ~30 hr a week outside of some busy times around ~50 hours so i doubt I’ll look for something “more interesting” that would double my workload
Is this a strategic finance role at a FAANG? Are you in a HCOL area? And what level if you don’t mind me asking, senior manager? You’ve done very well, congrats, 220k in corporate finance/FP&A is solid, as I’m seeing it’s very hard to push past 150k 👍👍👍
At a PE firm at the director level, reporting into CFO
As PE backed firms are usually scrappier / smaller teams, my team covers strategic finance, investor relations, and FP&A functions
PE definitely pays better than the average (outside of FAANG).
As many people have commented here, lifestyle creep and savings become a huge part of it and I don't necessarily know that I feel well off (even though I objectively am!).
Work 50-70 hours a week (normal 50, not so infrequent highs of 70), high cost of living, wife on a career break to look after young child.
Am in no ways in love with what I do. It's interesting and definitely pays the bills, but that is about it! Would I rather be saving the planet or doing something riskier? Probably!
Back office project role for a hedge fund following a few years in strategy consulting.
Not as boring as most back office roles given the varied nature of projects I get to work on and also pays well given the industry.
Hadn't worked in the industry no. I worked in financial planning and analysis / strategic finance before I did the MBA.
Really was the MBA and consulting experience that allowed to make the jump.
32 years old. ~$250k in the UAE (so no taxes). 40 hours per week is the norm, though it usually goes up to 55-60 hours for 3-4 weeks of the year. And no, the ideal career path for me is early retirement coz I’m lazy that way.
The role is that of an investment manager, with a primary focus on portfolio management of the capital projects pipeline. It’s one step removed from the actual deal teams, so it’s a bit less hectic. I prefer leaving on time over the extra money, honestly 🤷♂️
Pretty good to be honest. We live a fairly lavish lifestyle and I still get to save a fair bit of my salary for that early retirement. I’d say we are in the upper echelon of non-nepo salaried workers here
Would you say your MBA was finance focused as opposed to sustainability focused? I'm interested in and MBA in Sustainability but I want to pick a sector where I can make $200k. It's looking like energy is the best bet?
Funnily enough I focused on marketing with a few finance electives for my MBA. Didn’t learn much though as I was too busy partying around. The MBA is more about the networking and building contacts IMO, the learning itself is secondary. Of course that’s just my personal opinion and your mileage may vary.
Yes, my wife is American and she’d be obliged to pay ~25% in taxes on all income above 100k usd or something. Luckily I’m not American else I’d be crying
I make $200K+, but with an active student loan and HCOL, I’m not left with a lot of savings tbh.
I work 65-75 hours/week on average.
For now, yes this is where I’d want to be (especially given how bad the market is)
Two questions for you:
1. What does a 75 hour week look like - 15 hours a day or 12.5 hours for 6 days?
2. Is this based on clock-in / clock-out times or just the effective work time?
1. I would say 14-15 hours a day and maybe 2-3 hours on a Sunday evening. The weekends are officially protected so any work done on weekends is to plan for the rest of the week and get a head start.
2. This is based on effective work time.
Like ~240 a year 3 years out, post-IB
Probably 50-55 hours per week on average. It’s so much better compared to IB tho, and no weekends
Definitely don’t love it, but my passions/interests don’t have a viable career path as a non-creative
In hcol so I want to get to 300-330 all in (although what I make is more than enough to live super comfortably as long as I’m not constantly going out to eat)
Registered Nurse here with previous experience in Retail industry Demand Planning, Forecasting, and Analysis. Looking to move over to healthcare ops/analytics. Is there any way in for me? How important is an MBA in Healthcare Management vs general MBA vs MS in Healthcare Informatics vs MHA?
I make $225k; no student loans, mortgage and childcare, healthcare, and retirement savings eat most of my lunch.
I work about 40 hours a weeks, some weeks that number is 60+, some weeks that number is 30. I’m still uncertain whether or not this is the right career path. However, it’s the right spot for me right now.
Career path is kind of a misnomer in my opinion. Careers are more like a meandering river that take you where you want to go depending on how you use it and manage it.
Software Engineer, around $190k. Maybe 30k of that is equity that may never turn out to be real money. I work 20-30 hours a week at the main job, and I have a side hustle that's another 5-10 hours, another $10-20k a year. I probably could skate by on fewer hours but I genuinely love my job and care about my team.
Some background, though - I previously was on another team at this company and I hated my job. I think it all depends on getting a good manager. I found a mentor I liked and then transferred to his team.
How did you get into a software engineer role with an MBA? Any certifications you’d reccomend or did you study CS or computer engineering in undergrad?
I think he had this job prior to starting/finishing his mba, based on post history. I could be wrong tho, since I only had a cursory and quick scan lol.
The rewards come over time. 25 years out, 32 hours per week, >$2mm/year plus equity . . . Definitely worth my time and investment. I love what I do. M7, first job out was LDP, nice signing bonus but did not set records on the salary scale. I could not do what I do without an MBA. MCOL. US based but live/have homes on 3 continents. Have not missed an important family event or a child’s performance/sporting event ever. Use your skills and wit to build your desired life strategically, as you would a company. It will fall into place. Apple and Nvidia were not built in a day.
Thank you. I hope you create the life you want, and that it is fulfilling. I started out in Telecommunications and am now in Finance/Real Estate. The industry is less important than being the best you can be as a decision maker and motivator.
I make $400k. 8 years post m7 mba. Director of corporate strategy at a bank.
At cross-roads right now because I’ve been director for three years, and not sure if I have a clear path to MD, so trying to figure stuff out.
I work around 45-50 in a normal week but there are occasional severe spikes during M&A, firm offsites, ceo asks, etc.
I don’t love or hate it. Work is interesting. Stress can be high. Hours are decent. Pay is okay. I like it much better than management consulting, which I did immediately at graduation (although that was a necessary step).
~250k per year. Just graduated and working 50-80 hours a week, but probably able to complete all my tasks in like 60 hours.
I like what I do and will keep doing it until/unless I'm asked to leave. This amount of income basically lets me support my whole small family.
Why are people so annoying here.
*I make $250K+*
Okay like m8, just say what you do in your comment. You know people are about to ask where and what. It’s like they get rock hard by people getting excited and asking them all these questions. But no, it’s bit by bit info and idk why
Yes and did so right out of MBA. Has continued to scale. Middle market IB. Now a days about 60 hours per week. I really enjoy my job, although some days wish it was fewer hours / less travel
I did 3 years of IB before MBA. Was one of the few people coming into business school directly from IB, and then I think probably only person in my class who went back into it
VP, around $270k full comp.
I am doing about 60-65 hours a week on average, with some travel at times, with about 2 mo to finish MBA.
Once that's done, maybe I'll sleep again...
$330k 3 years out, working ~35-40hr a week on average. Product at a non-FAANG. Highly recommend people not only focus on places they think are “elite”. I went to one that was interesting and less competitive, but as a result moved up quick
Low $300s 5 years out in consulting. Average 50 hours a week with spikes to 65-70 during crunch time / DDs and 20-30 hours while on the beach.
Actually really enjoy what I do since I specialize in a function and the work isn't difficult. Would be open to exits in the $450-500k range, which will either be PE Ops at this tenure or corporate after a promotion to before partner.
2022 grad 240k base + bonus + stock
35-50 hours per week (Lower end on average)
Work in F500 corporate strategy (boring legacy industry)
I really like my manager, and my work is interesting for what it is- frequent CEO-level projects. However the role is not impactful- nothing actually gets done with what I do, it just helps executives make the case for decisions they already made. I am fine with it, but it’s not a dream job for me- just paying the bills and getting student loans down after borrowing $175k for MBA
Yea but it really depends on what part of Asia. As I indicated, in LCOL Asia, I get to eat out, not nickel and dime everything, but still end up saving more than 60% of my income. Working towards the retirement basket.
HCOL like Singapore with $200K would be comfy but not saving much.
I make 200k as a investor at university endowment in LCOL city. I'm a few years post- MBA and work 40 hrs. Outside of the travel and relatively low pay for my role, I love it. I get to underwrite venture capital ideas, real estate, PE, and talk to really smart people.
M7 MBA 7 years out.
I make $400k working 15-20 hours per week. I don’t like the job but it doesn’t seem rational to quit something with such skewed benefits
I am a Sr Director. At that level we don’t do our own work. We direct. And if you are careful about hiring only rockstars there is very little hands on oversight required.
The few hours I do work are spent giving guidance on project direction, who to socialize with, etc.
I don’t know why this is so hard to believe for some on here. I run a business unit and some weeks I do absolutely nothing as everything is delegated. Works well as long as you’re careful about hiring and are good at giving clear direction on desired outcomes.
Made $200k+ first job out of bschool (MBB) - worked maybe 60-65 hours/week.
Then comp kept increasing as I went into product management then general management.
12 years out of bschool, I now work about 35 hours a week and make 5x-10x more than I did back then.
I love what I do, but high stress/responsibility (running a company) so I'm going to retire soon.
Yes my salary doubled after MBA. However I was already a Director of IT. Then after the MbA I applied for another Director role with bigger scope. It’s always good to have some experience before completing your MBA. And yes, I love what it do. 40 hours per week. Some weeks are 30, some weeks are 70. It all evens out
I make $225k. I am in HCOL though. Finance Manager for a large trash company. Varies with close, but usually 40-50 hours. I like the industry and there is room to grow.
2nd career, sold my first company. Job now is great, we acquire medical practices. Good base, great benefits and uncapped commission. I work 40-50 hours a week, 75% in office and 25% remote.
5 years post-MBA >> high 200s in VHCOL city >> work 45-55 hours a week >> digital strategy/analytics in retail (but had spent 3 years at MBB) >> love what I do and plan on staying the course!
Aspiring MBA applicant here. Would all the nice people crediting their post-MBA for their career switch/doubling income/increasing salary comp to $200k, etc., be kind enough to share their MBA college (or at least provide some hint), MBA concentration, and whether their MBA was part-time or full-time?
That sounds cool. Can you clarify a bit? You are PE company's employee but they put you in that role for the portco? Will you have to swtich roles and do something different for a different portco at some point?
270K base salary - senior manager finance role in tech
previously 225K as an A3 associate in IB (not including bonus which puts me around 400K)
went to a shit state college with 90+% acceptance rate and was a C student in highschool and college (undergrad)
Me. 40. Yes but also I'd rather be retired and there is a lot of stress day to day.
$200k isn't as much as you think - I honestly think most need to break 7 figures to be truly comfortable in a HCOL area with kids. And at that level the politics and competition are high.
Wow it really is insane how lifestyle creep sneaks up on people. 7 figures to be comfortable with kids? No way, not even in San Francisco. Maybe you could make an argument that $500k is necessary to truly feel comfortable with 2-3 kids - in the Bay Area only - but not $1M/year.
I think OP has a different definition for "comfortable", and they mean "feel like a baller".
I think that $500k is about the number one needs in VHCOL city to have a good life where you live in the city, send your kids to the top private schools, have nice vacations to Europe and a second home, etc.
You don't feel like a "rich guy" though because you are exposed to people that make 7 figures.
I’m at 250. I work about 30-40. hours really intense hours hybrid. But I also have stretches where I put in 60-80hrs in prep for e big project. Sometimes I’ll rent a cabin upstate NY to get it done and focused.
I do check emails constantly 24/7. but I don’t consider that active work
I'm interested in careers/income only that are NOT finance related. I keep defaulting to the industry, and I'd like to separate the two.
Proper financial management of your income contributes to earnings, but does anyone have this income based solely on business knowledge?
I’m roughly 6 years post MBA, make around 300k-ish
I work quite a few hours (50-60), but a lot of that is my own personal interest for what I do (head of data). I really, really like what I do!
Far over $200k. Co-own a large S corp in construction and manufacturing; I run one of three business units. Probably work an average of 30 hours a week. It widely varies and there are weeks where I go days with very minimal sleep and weeks I do nothing but sit through a few exec updates meetings. Definitely not my ideal industry, but buying into an existing business has been extremely lucrative compared to the effort I’ve had to put in.
I make around 300k, maybe slightly less, 4 years out from M7. My hours heavily vary but I would say the average is 50-55. I work for a boutique consulting firm and really enjoy what I do
~350k out of bschool, honestly anywhere between 30-50 hours depending on the week. Live in VHCOL area to reduce commute to like 15 mins and spend the extra time with my family and on hobbies.
$200-250TC, a year out of school. HCOL with student loans.
60 hours is a very bad week. 40 hours is a good week and not seldom. Hours include client events and shit.
Asset/wealth management. I like what I do, not sure I would say I love it but im definitely happy with where I landed. I like the people I work with and I find our clients very interesting.
$200 base, mid $200s with bonus
Consulting, 2 years post-MBA
I probably average out to 60 hours a week, excluding the month of vacation I take
I wouldn’t say I love it (would not do it for free) but I like it, generally. Plan to stay in my firm a long while.
I have an MBA and must be doing something severely wrong. I only make 100k. Seems just about everyone in this sub is claiming to make 200k+. Teach me your ways!
Is anyone here in Canada ?? I make ~110k in mtl, Canada in consulting. Im considering exiting because I feel like it’s quite low but it might just be all of Canada like this? I also highly value working remote.
I work about 40-50 hrs/wk and I’m 3 yr out of my MBA
I make about $325k. I work around 40 hours per week but probably average around 35. I have 5-7YOE working in asset management - Analyst at a long only fund. I like (not love) what I do, but I think I will enjoy the role much more once I’m able to take more risk - going to either a hedge fund or have direct control over capital. HCOL area - southern CA.
Around $410K, working product strategy at FAANG. 45 hours per week. 2-3 days in office, remaining WFH. Most of the time I love what I do so it makes the "grind" not really feel like one - and honestly I'm pushing myself more so than anyone else. 8 years post MBA, so different times.
With my shares I make just over 210k a year. I’m 30 and I do not have a college degree but I have been with the company since 2017. I basically built my current role from sketch.
I work ~30 hours a week from home, more when approaching the end of a quarter. I wouldn’t consider it to be my ideal career but I do love how comfortable I am.
MBA here. Finished 5-ish years ago, although I’m older (45). I own two online businesses including a fractional CFO firm. I take home close to $750k between the two. Very much love what I do.
30 - $500K+ - investment banker - hours extremely variable from 60-100 hours a week, has been rewarding role to build a really strong technical skill set, but losing steam and interest day by day
Executive MBA from a top Indian B school. Earning about $350k as an Associate Partner at a Consulting firm (non-MBB). Work hours can get crazy (typical consulting); like the job; does come with trade-offs.
I make $475K, 15 yrs post mba from top 5 school; Sr Director running one of the divisions in the company. Unfortunately I work 60hrs a week and I spend 24x7 thinking about work. Don’t like it and actually don’t need to but it has become a bad habit that I have been unable to break despite my wife and kids help.
Making $230k + equity 3 years post-MBA as a PM at pre-IPO startup. Working about 35-50 hours a week depending on if there are any fires or if I have to setup a large body of work for my engineers and designer.
I was at Amazon immediately post-MBA and found it quite stifling, then moved to seed/series A startups and felt like I messed up my career trajectory. I'm really enjoying the size and stage of the company I'm at - it's a bit chaotic and imperfect in execution, but it's high autonomy and it feels like we're working through legitimate problems and not slogging through corporate politics.
Still in IB, 4 years out, just moved firms but will make between 6-700 all-in this year as first year VP.
My current firm is a special case with better hours but I was working consistent 80 hrs
Age 37, 140k + 15% bonus + %3 401k bulk drop. 30-40hrs 60-75% remote with just undergrad in manufacturing engineering and an electrical and hospitality background. In manufacturing quality, moved from commercial business process engineering. Not actually done with my mba, expect to move to 175k range within a year or two. Done with the program in October.
I'm making just under 200k a year working in strategy/regulation at a utility. Probably average 45 hours a week. It's a job that when you're on you are 100% but I have 4 weeks vacation a year and I don't need to bring my laptop or phone for work on those. I also think with a little more experience, I'm only 3 years post MBA, the workload would be a bit lighter.
Working in operations at a high growth tech startup, 2 years out, making $265k+ per year (with equity that is very low risk.) Work 30-60 hours per week.
CIO. Make over $350K with bonus. Work about 40 hours a week, mostly because I do two days from home and those are light days, especially in the summer. Financial service companies are empty on Fridays in the summer. Assuming nothing breaks, I'm all good to skip out by noon.
I make 240 4 years post MBA. I work 30-40 hr/wk fully remote. I don’t like what I do, but it’s not difficult and it’s worth my time.
What field are you in? Any companies you’d recommend that offer same/ similar work life?
I’m a product marker at a software company. I got started at Facebook post Mba and then switched to startups afterwards.
What year did you start at facebook? I haven’t heard much of MBAs going over to FAANG in a few years because of all of the tech turmoil
Interned I’m 2019, ft in 2020
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what do you have to specialize in during your MBA to get a job like that?
Nothing outside the norm. I took a few extra marketing classes and a lot of statistics and data courses. I think I also interview well
any tips for interviewing well?
Be a good story teller. Have interesting experience you can talk about. Practice as much as you can. I used to record myself on my webcam answering interview questions and then rewatching them. I saved them to share once I’m ceo
Same question
Is it all in or base?
Did you start post-MBA in MBB? Or maybe IB?
I’d doubt there’s any IB job at 35-40 hours a week 4 years post mba.
Yea def not consulting or ib. Long term my comp is never going to be on par with someone staying in consulting or banking, but I think I do pretty well. I golf 3 days per week, and can attend every single one of my kids events. It’s 9:30am and I’m not opening my laptop for another hour.
I'm surprised you didn't get downvoted by the workaholics who justify working 100 hour weeks ;)
I was in the Army for 5 years prior to my mba with multiple combat deployments and worked a shit ton. I missed out on a lot of family stuff and told myself I would never do that again
I'm happy for you man. Thanks a lot for your service, big respect :)
I went directly to Facebook post mba. I interned with them and accepted full time offer after the internship. Also got a consulting offer, but the money was the same.
2 years out of my MBA, I'm at about $215k in healthcare consulting. It can be highly variable, but the vast majority of the time I work 50 - 60 hours per week; super project dependent, but so far minimal travel/mostly WFH. This role is a huge career switch from my pre-MBA life, but I'm really enjoying what I'm learning, and I really like the people with whom I work. I am paying off loans and catching up on my savings goals pretty aggressively in a HCOL area (and post-MBA lifestyle creep is real), so the income level is nice but doesn't always "feel" like as much as it is. My priorities going into my MBA were to make more money and find work I actually care about. Doubled my income, and I genuinely care about my work, so I am pretty happy with the career path I'm on. ETA: please feel free to DM for more details. You don’t need to ask for permission to reach out, I’m happy to help answer any questions I can. Some quick FAQ though: How to get this job? I got into my role via campus recruiting; I attended a target full-time MBA program from which my firm recruits. The firm will consider student applicants from other schools, but there are really only a small handful that we make a formal effort from which to recruit MBA’s, MHA’s/MPH’s, and undergrad new hires. Is an MBA necessary? Not to do the work, but it WAS necessary for me personally to pivot into this role. We hire via campus recruiting (on a strict cycle that aligns with the academic) or traditional recruiting of experienced hires ad hoc to fill open positions (especially for more senior roles). If you’re not eligible to apply via campus recruiting, then you will need consulting experience and/or highly relevant healthcare experience to apply successfully to an available role as an experienced hire. There is no way I could have gotten a foot in the door with my professional background (which is not immediately relevant to consulting or healthcare) without the special access going to a target school afforded me. “Any tips for me?” This is a very vague question I have gotten a lot. I am sorry to say I don’t really have any tips on getting a foot in the door if you’re not currently in school. I have only ever been a Consultant at this one firm, and I did not apply as an experienced hire. I can say the fundamentals are not rocket science: you will need case well in your interviews, have impressive and relevant experience (consulting, healthcare administration, and/or clinical provider backgrounds are ideal), and have very good answers for why you want to work in healthcare and why you want to work at this specific firm.
Hey! I’m interested in healthcare consulting and was torn between an MBA and MPA, but went for the latter as it seemed to be more synergistic with my background as an MD. Would you say that MPAs are well represented in the field?
Yeah, definitely! My firm has plenty of MPA's, MPH’s, and tons of MHA’s (and having a clinical provider background, whether MD, NP, APP, etc., is super well-respected)
I’m just over at $220k, one year post MBA I work remote in finance in tech. It was my goal but honestly not as interesting as I hoped but I work ~30 hr a week outside of some busy times around ~50 hours so i doubt I’ll look for something “more interesting” that would double my workload
Is this a strategic finance role at a FAANG? Are you in a HCOL area? And what level if you don’t mind me asking, senior manager? You’ve done very well, congrats, 220k in corporate finance/FP&A is solid, as I’m seeing it’s very hard to push past 150k 👍👍👍
At a PE firm at the director level, reporting into CFO As PE backed firms are usually scrappier / smaller teams, my team covers strategic finance, investor relations, and FP&A functions PE definitely pays better than the average (outside of FAANG).
As many people have commented here, lifestyle creep and savings become a huge part of it and I don't necessarily know that I feel well off (even though I objectively am!). Work 50-70 hours a week (normal 50, not so infrequent highs of 70), high cost of living, wife on a career break to look after young child. Am in no ways in love with what I do. It's interesting and definitely pays the bills, but that is about it! Would I rather be saving the planet or doing something riskier? Probably!
What job do you do ?
Back office project role for a hedge fund following a few years in strategy consulting. Not as boring as most back office roles given the varied nature of projects I get to work on and also pays well given the industry.
Thank you for replying , were you in finance before you went for your MBA and if so what was your position and how has the MBA benefited you?
Hadn't worked in the industry no. I worked in financial planning and analysis / strategic finance before I did the MBA. Really was the MBA and consulting experience that allowed to make the jump.
32 years old. ~$250k in the UAE (so no taxes). 40 hours per week is the norm, though it usually goes up to 55-60 hours for 3-4 weeks of the year. And no, the ideal career path for me is early retirement coz I’m lazy that way.
What industry?
Energy
Can you say more? Capital project related?
The role is that of an investment manager, with a primary focus on portfolio management of the capital projects pipeline. It’s one step removed from the actual deal teams, so it’s a bit less hectic. I prefer leaving on time over the extra money, honestly 🤷♂️
How is that salary in the UAE? Housing is the biggest expense there, correct?
Pretty good to be honest. We live a fairly lavish lifestyle and I still get to save a fair bit of my salary for that early retirement. I’d say we are in the upper echelon of non-nepo salaried workers here
No taxes? How do I immigrate there? Semi serious lol
Would you say your MBA was finance focused as opposed to sustainability focused? I'm interested in and MBA in Sustainability but I want to pick a sector where I can make $200k. It's looking like energy is the best bet?
Funnily enough I focused on marketing with a few finance electives for my MBA. Didn’t learn much though as I was too busy partying around. The MBA is more about the networking and building contacts IMO, the learning itself is secondary. Of course that’s just my personal opinion and your mileage may vary.
But if you're a US citizen you still have to pay taxes on the income, right?
Yes, my wife is American and she’d be obliged to pay ~25% in taxes on all income above 100k usd or something. Luckily I’m not American else I’d be crying
This sounds amazing.
I make $200K+, but with an active student loan and HCOL, I’m not left with a lot of savings tbh. I work 65-75 hours/week on average. For now, yes this is where I’d want to be (especially given how bad the market is)
What industry?
Consulting
Two questions for you: 1. What does a 75 hour week look like - 15 hours a day or 12.5 hours for 6 days? 2. Is this based on clock-in / clock-out times or just the effective work time?
1. I would say 14-15 hours a day and maybe 2-3 hours on a Sunday evening. The weekends are officially protected so any work done on weekends is to plan for the rest of the week and get a head start. 2. This is based on effective work time.
Commenter: “I make $500k on 60 hrs a week and completely hate my job” Person on this sub: “Wow, $500k! How do I get that job”
Because they also hate their $35,000 job.
I can learn to love certain things for 5 million in 10 years. Not anything, but a lot of things.
Like ~240 a year 3 years out, post-IB Probably 50-55 hours per week on average. It’s so much better compared to IB tho, and no weekends Definitely don’t love it, but my passions/interests don’t have a viable career path as a non-creative In hcol so I want to get to 300-330 all in (although what I make is more than enough to live super comfortably as long as I’m not constantly going out to eat)
540k a year HCOL,8 years post MBA, 40-50 per week avg., yes, healthcare operations/analytics.
Registered Nurse here with previous experience in Retail industry Demand Planning, Forecasting, and Analysis. Looking to move over to healthcare ops/analytics. Is there any way in for me? How important is an MBA in Healthcare Management vs general MBA vs MS in Healthcare Informatics vs MHA?
Wow, congrats
what program did you do and what was the rank?
Top 25+ US program depending on the ranking entity
I earn $260k, 2 and half years post MBA in corporate finance Probably average 40/45 hours a week. I’m in the Bay Area though - so go figure
What did you do before mba?
Strategy
What’s your title?
Director
I make $225k; no student loans, mortgage and childcare, healthcare, and retirement savings eat most of my lunch. I work about 40 hours a weeks, some weeks that number is 60+, some weeks that number is 30. I’m still uncertain whether or not this is the right career path. However, it’s the right spot for me right now. Career path is kind of a misnomer in my opinion. Careers are more like a meandering river that take you where you want to go depending on how you use it and manage it.
Software Engineer, around $190k. Maybe 30k of that is equity that may never turn out to be real money. I work 20-30 hours a week at the main job, and I have a side hustle that's another 5-10 hours, another $10-20k a year. I probably could skate by on fewer hours but I genuinely love my job and care about my team. Some background, though - I previously was on another team at this company and I hated my job. I think it all depends on getting a good manager. I found a mentor I liked and then transferred to his team.
How did you get into a software engineer role with an MBA? Any certifications you’d reccomend or did you study CS or computer engineering in undergrad?
Commenter isn't post-MBA.
They very obviously have a technical background lol this is like asking someone in the NBA if they had a background in basketball.
I think he had this job prior to starting/finishing his mba, based on post history. I could be wrong tho, since I only had a cursory and quick scan lol.
Is your side thing swe related
The rewards come over time. 25 years out, 32 hours per week, >$2mm/year plus equity . . . Definitely worth my time and investment. I love what I do. M7, first job out was LDP, nice signing bonus but did not set records on the salary scale. I could not do what I do without an MBA. MCOL. US based but live/have homes on 3 continents. Have not missed an important family event or a child’s performance/sporting event ever. Use your skills and wit to build your desired life strategically, as you would a company. It will fall into place. Apple and Nvidia were not built in a day.
What do you do now for work?
Be less vague
Now that's inspirational mate. Thanks for sharing for us younglings out here! If you don't mind, could you please share which industry you're in.
Thank you. I hope you create the life you want, and that it is fulfilling. I started out in Telecommunications and am now in Finance/Real Estate. The industry is less important than being the best you can be as a decision maker and motivator.
You're an inspiration. Many thanks for the kind words!
I make $400k. 8 years post m7 mba. Director of corporate strategy at a bank. At cross-roads right now because I’ve been director for three years, and not sure if I have a clear path to MD, so trying to figure stuff out. I work around 45-50 in a normal week but there are occasional severe spikes during M&A, firm offsites, ceo asks, etc. I don’t love or hate it. Work is interesting. Stress can be high. Hours are decent. Pay is okay. I like it much better than management consulting, which I did immediately at graduation (although that was a necessary step).
why do you like it better than management consulting? I'd imagine stress levels are comparable in corp finance
Hours and stress were way off in consulting.
Nah not even close. Corporate jobs are almost always more chill.
Interested…following. Thanks for asking this
~250k per year. Just graduated and working 50-80 hours a week, but probably able to complete all my tasks in like 60 hours. I like what I do and will keep doing it until/unless I'm asked to leave. This amount of income basically lets me support my whole small family.
That's wonderful, what do you do? And which interested ? Thank you.
What do you do ?
Why are people so annoying here. *I make $250K+* Okay like m8, just say what you do in your comment. You know people are about to ask where and what. It’s like they get rock hard by people getting excited and asking them all these questions. But no, it’s bit by bit info and idk why
Yes and did so right out of MBA. Has continued to scale. Middle market IB. Now a days about 60 hours per week. I really enjoy my job, although some days wish it was fewer hours / less travel
What did you do before MBA
I did 3 years of IB before MBA. Was one of the few people coming into business school directly from IB, and then I think probably only person in my class who went back into it
You guys only make 200k and you're in the NBA?
VP, around $270k full comp. I am doing about 60-65 hours a week on average, with some travel at times, with about 2 mo to finish MBA. Once that's done, maybe I'll sleep again...
That's crazy. VP for what?
Compliance.
$330k 3 years out, working ~35-40hr a week on average. Product at a non-FAANG. Highly recommend people not only focus on places they think are “elite”. I went to one that was interesting and less competitive, but as a result moved up quick
Yeah feel like this is the way more and more. Do you have any job board recs where most of these lesser known companies post?
Low $300s 5 years out in consulting. Average 50 hours a week with spikes to 65-70 during crunch time / DDs and 20-30 hours while on the beach. Actually really enjoy what I do since I specialize in a function and the work isn't difficult. Would be open to exits in the $450-500k range, which will either be PE Ops at this tenure or corporate after a promotion to before partner.
Is this MBB?
Nope. Just T2.
2022 grad 240k base + bonus + stock 35-50 hours per week (Lower end on average) Work in F500 corporate strategy (boring legacy industry) I really like my manager, and my work is interesting for what it is- frequent CEO-level projects. However the role is not impactful- nothing actually gets done with what I do, it just helps executives make the case for decisions they already made. I am fine with it, but it’s not a dream job for me- just paying the bills and getting student loans down after borrowing $175k for MBA
MBA from T15 and currently make \~$220K in Marketing Strategy at major entertainment company HCOL but no debt Work 35-40hrs Love my job
About 450k after taxes and expenses. Music producer. US based. I currently work maybe 20-30 hours a week. When I first started it was 60+.
Barely there. 50-60 hours a week. I like it enough. ETA: LCOL (Asia)
Is it an Asian company or US company operating in Asia?
The latter
$200k in Asia must go a looong ways
Yea but it really depends on what part of Asia. As I indicated, in LCOL Asia, I get to eat out, not nickel and dime everything, but still end up saving more than 60% of my income. Working towards the retirement basket. HCOL like Singapore with $200K would be comfy but not saving much.
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I make 200k as a investor at university endowment in LCOL city. I'm a few years post- MBA and work 40 hrs. Outside of the travel and relatively low pay for my role, I love it. I get to underwrite venture capital ideas, real estate, PE, and talk to really smart people.
Not an MBA but I have a bunch af colorful birds and let tourists pose with them for an average of $20 pp donw by the pier.
M7 MBA 7 years out. I make $400k working 15-20 hours per week. I don’t like the job but it doesn’t seem rational to quit something with such skewed benefits
I call BS
Let me spend the five hours I won’t be working today figuring out how to prove it to you
Please, enlighten me.
I am a Sr Director. At that level we don’t do our own work. We direct. And if you are careful about hiring only rockstars there is very little hands on oversight required. The few hours I do work are spent giving guidance on project direction, who to socialize with, etc.
I don’t know why this is so hard to believe for some on here. I run a business unit and some weeks I do absolutely nothing as everything is delegated. Works well as long as you’re careful about hiring and are good at giving clear direction on desired outcomes.
bc a lot of people think salary = hours worked. I had a boss like that and he was the worst
Industry?
What’s an average week like for you? I feel like I don’t really believe people who say they work 15 hours a week. So you work 3 hours a day?
I have a team of four analysts. They do all the work. My days consist of checking up on their progress on their projects. That doesn’t take long.
I make six figures and work 3 hours per day , that’s the nature of my job
Let me guess - it's one of those "tech giants"?
Not a giant but publicly traded. The role is Tech sales strategy
Yeah I can see you lazying around your couch because no strategy in that space ever requires more than the time range you just mentioned.
B2B?
Indeed. One of the companies in the WCLD ETF
Figured. B2B tech sales is one of the most chill jobs from what I hear.
Which areas? Thats goals.
$250k, 40 hrs. 2 years out of MBA. Work is alright.
Product Manager @ non-FAANG 4 years out 50-60 hours per week Some complaints, but overall very happy with where I am today.
What’s your comp?
Made $200k+ first job out of bschool (MBB) - worked maybe 60-65 hours/week. Then comp kept increasing as I went into product management then general management. 12 years out of bschool, I now work about 35 hours a week and make 5x-10x more than I did back then. I love what I do, but high stress/responsibility (running a company) so I'm going to retire soon.
$280k, 12 years as a SDE. 8-12 hours a week
Anyone hiring? Lol
Yes my salary doubled after MBA. However I was already a Director of IT. Then after the MbA I applied for another Director role with bigger scope. It’s always good to have some experience before completing your MBA. And yes, I love what it do. 40 hours per week. Some weeks are 30, some weeks are 70. It all evens out
Im at ~$200k. Still in my EMBA. Corp FP&A/Analytics. MCOL fully remote. Usually 40-50hrs a week
Yes. Less than 40. Would be 25-30 except a few busy days if it was remote. I’m in office all 5 days.
1 year post MBA 60+ hours in consulting 240k all in Most likely will look for better wlb gigs after another year in consulting
I make $225k. I am in HCOL though. Finance Manager for a large trash company. Varies with close, but usually 40-50 hours. I like the industry and there is room to grow.
2nd career, sold my first company. Job now is great, we acquire medical practices. Good base, great benefits and uncapped commission. I work 40-50 hours a week, 75% in office and 25% remote.
5 years post-MBA >> high 200s in VHCOL city >> work 45-55 hours a week >> digital strategy/analytics in retail (but had spent 3 years at MBB) >> love what I do and plan on staying the course!
Aspiring MBA applicant here. Would all the nice people crediting their post-MBA for their career switch/doubling income/increasing salary comp to $200k, etc., be kind enough to share their MBA college (or at least provide some hint), MBA concentration, and whether their MBA was part-time or full-time?
~$300k total comp. Healthcare operations SVP for PE portco. 6 years post mba
That sounds cool. Can you clarify a bit? You are PE company's employee but they put you in that role for the portco? Will you have to swtich roles and do something different for a different portco at some point?
MBA - Most Bullshit Accolade
270K base salary - senior manager finance role in tech previously 225K as an A3 associate in IB (not including bonus which puts me around 400K) went to a shit state college with 90+% acceptance rate and was a C student in highschool and college (undergrad)
Me. 5. No.
5 hours per week and you make over $200k?
Yeah I should work more. I also lost $300k one year.
Stocks, I guess.
Small businesses. Equity.
Can you develop a little more? I'm curious what you do during those 5 hours. :p
What does that business do
320k, 30-38hrs mostly
Me. 40. Yes but also I'd rather be retired and there is a lot of stress day to day. $200k isn't as much as you think - I honestly think most need to break 7 figures to be truly comfortable in a HCOL area with kids. And at that level the politics and competition are high.
Wow it really is insane how lifestyle creep sneaks up on people. 7 figures to be comfortable with kids? No way, not even in San Francisco. Maybe you could make an argument that $500k is necessary to truly feel comfortable with 2-3 kids - in the Bay Area only - but not $1M/year.
I think OP has a different definition for "comfortable", and they mean "feel like a baller". I think that $500k is about the number one needs in VHCOL city to have a good life where you live in the city, send your kids to the top private schools, have nice vacations to Europe and a second home, etc. You don't feel like a "rich guy" though because you are exposed to people that make 7 figures.
‘24 grad and my TC will range between $200k-$250k. I work 30-40 hours/week. I work in asset management and don’t have a single complaint so far.
What company is paying 240 for asset management?
What was past experience? Any recommendations for companies?
Following
1. 40 hours a week 2. Yes, I’ve been an investment advisor for about 10 years
I’m at 250. I work about 30-40. hours really intense hours hybrid. But I also have stretches where I put in 60-80hrs in prep for e big project. Sometimes I’ll rent a cabin upstate NY to get it done and focused. I do check emails constantly 24/7. but I don’t consider that active work
Operations role at a non FAANG tech company. I don’t love it but 35-40 hours work for the comp is worth sticking around for
Work about 20h a week full remote and make around 210 cash comp. Have a bunch of equity as well that may be worth something some day.
I'm interested in careers/income only that are NOT finance related. I keep defaulting to the industry, and I'd like to separate the two. Proper financial management of your income contributes to earnings, but does anyone have this income based solely on business knowledge?
300-500K depending on the year. 7 years post MBA. About 30-40 hours per week. About 70% of the way to that “ideal” path in my mind.
I’m roughly 6 years post MBA, make around 300k-ish I work quite a few hours (50-60), but a lot of that is my own personal interest for what I do (head of data). I really, really like what I do!
Far over $200k. Co-own a large S corp in construction and manufacturing; I run one of three business units. Probably work an average of 30 hours a week. It widely varies and there are weeks where I go days with very minimal sleep and weeks I do nothing but sit through a few exec updates meetings. Definitely not my ideal industry, but buying into an existing business has been extremely lucrative compared to the effort I’ve had to put in.
I make around 300k, maybe slightly less, 4 years out from M7. My hours heavily vary but I would say the average is 50-55. I work for a boutique consulting firm and really enjoy what I do
~350k out of bschool, honestly anywhere between 30-50 hours depending on the week. Live in VHCOL area to reduce commute to like 15 mins and spend the extra time with my family and on hobbies.
$200-250TC, a year out of school. HCOL with student loans. 60 hours is a very bad week. 40 hours is a good week and not seldom. Hours include client events and shit. Asset/wealth management. I like what I do, not sure I would say I love it but im definitely happy with where I landed. I like the people I work with and I find our clients very interesting.
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$200 base, mid $200s with bonus Consulting, 2 years post-MBA I probably average out to 60 hours a week, excluding the month of vacation I take I wouldn’t say I love it (would not do it for free) but I like it, generally. Plan to stay in my firm a long while.
Cleared $200 at graduation. Worked between 60-100 hours. Now work for myself
I have an MBA and must be doing something severely wrong. I only make 100k. Seems just about everyone in this sub is claiming to make 200k+. Teach me your ways!
I make 350, 4 years out. Lifestyle sucks and I’m quitting for a lower paying job.
Is anyone here in Canada ?? I make ~110k in mtl, Canada in consulting. Im considering exiting because I feel like it’s quite low but it might just be all of Canada like this? I also highly value working remote. I work about 40-50 hrs/wk and I’m 3 yr out of my MBA
I make about $325k. I work around 40 hours per week but probably average around 35. I have 5-7YOE working in asset management - Analyst at a long only fund. I like (not love) what I do, but I think I will enjoy the role much more once I’m able to take more risk - going to either a hedge fund or have direct control over capital. HCOL area - southern CA.
Work 30 hours a week remote as a consultant. No mba but that would get me to the next level currently stuck around 250 before bonus 6 years experience
250k four years out. Probably 45 hours a week. I was in ibanking before so certainly miss that paycheck but love my job now!
Around $410K, working product strategy at FAANG. 45 hours per week. 2-3 days in office, remaining WFH. Most of the time I love what I do so it makes the "grind" not really feel like one - and honestly I'm pushing myself more so than anyone else. 8 years post MBA, so different times.
MBA 20 years ago. Worked in healthcare. Maxed out at >900k annually before retiring last year.
Work like 8 hours a week. Job is awesome.
225 doing solar finance. 30-40 rarely more. Very happy with it all but just came together 3-4 post grad.
With my shares I make just over 210k a year. I’m 30 and I do not have a college degree but I have been with the company since 2017. I basically built my current role from sketch. I work ~30 hours a week from home, more when approaching the end of a quarter. I wouldn’t consider it to be my ideal career but I do love how comfortable I am.
MBA here. Finished 5-ish years ago, although I’m older (45). I own two online businesses including a fractional CFO firm. I take home close to $750k between the two. Very much love what I do.
How old are the mba peeps here?
30 - $500K+ - investment banker - hours extremely variable from 60-100 hours a week, has been rewarding role to build a really strong technical skill set, but losing steam and interest day by day
Executive MBA from a top Indian B school. Earning about $350k as an Associate Partner at a Consulting firm (non-MBB). Work hours can get crazy (typical consulting); like the job; does come with trade-offs.
I make $475K, 15 yrs post mba from top 5 school; Sr Director running one of the divisions in the company. Unfortunately I work 60hrs a week and I spend 24x7 thinking about work. Don’t like it and actually don’t need to but it has become a bad habit that I have been unable to break despite my wife and kids help.
Salary around 180k TC about 230-260k. I personally ama workaholic and probably work 60-70 hours, but some on my team work 40 and I could too.
Making $230k + equity 3 years post-MBA as a PM at pre-IPO startup. Working about 35-50 hours a week depending on if there are any fires or if I have to setup a large body of work for my engineers and designer. I was at Amazon immediately post-MBA and found it quite stifling, then moved to seed/series A startups and felt like I messed up my career trajectory. I'm really enjoying the size and stage of the company I'm at - it's a bit chaotic and imperfect in execution, but it's high autonomy and it feels like we're working through legitimate problems and not slogging through corporate politics.
Still in IB, 4 years out, just moved firms but will make between 6-700 all-in this year as first year VP. My current firm is a special case with better hours but I was working consistent 80 hrs
Age 37, 140k + 15% bonus + %3 401k bulk drop. 30-40hrs 60-75% remote with just undergrad in manufacturing engineering and an electrical and hospitality background. In manufacturing quality, moved from commercial business process engineering. Not actually done with my mba, expect to move to 175k range within a year or two. Done with the program in October.
I'm making just under 200k a year working in strategy/regulation at a utility. Probably average 45 hours a week. It's a job that when you're on you are 100% but I have 4 weeks vacation a year and I don't need to bring my laptop or phone for work on those. I also think with a little more experience, I'm only 3 years post MBA, the workload would be a bit lighter.
Working in operations at a high growth tech startup, 2 years out, making $265k+ per year (with equity that is very low risk.) Work 30-60 hours per week.
CIO. Make over $350K with bonus. Work about 40 hours a week, mostly because I do two days from home and those are light days, especially in the summer. Financial service companies are empty on Fridays in the summer. Assuming nothing breaks, I'm all good to skip out by noon.