<p>I will be submitting my deposit either tomorrow or the day after, and while I am quite set on sending that deposit to Stern, there are some things that I need to be sure of before I make this decision. While I consider myself a pretty smart guy, my friends are keen to notice that I am not really a "business-like" person (AKA, I can be pretty silent among strangers, and I tend to be more of a "Mr. Nice-Guy" than the stereotypical cutthroat businessman). I am basically worried that I might not end up at the top of my class in such a competitive school as Stern (and even if I do, perhaps my personality will inhibit my success), and will end up having to leave the business world entirely, having wasted 4 years and 200k$.</p>
<p>As some of you will remember from my previous post here, I had a decision between CMU engineering and NYU stern business. After spending much time, I have decided that while CMU's campus is certainly a nice thing to have, the urban environment of NYU Stern will ultimately better prepare me for the "real world." However, I am still split. I have been told that engineering offers extremely good job security (like anyone who gets a decent grade at a school like CMU will probably land a decent job in engineering), while the availability of jobs in business really depends on the economic environment. I have also heard that, of the few jobs available in such an economic situation, the competition is ridiculously cutthroat. Apparently, many firms work like a pyramid; at the bottom, there are a lot of competitive contenders, and as you go up the pyramid, the number of people on each level shrinks dramatically. Naturally, my parents want me to go the more secure path, since it is their 200k at stake here. They apparently heard some bad stories of people who went to business school and ended up working as a border patrol in Texas since they just didn't make the cut. They are fine with me going to Stern (as they know that I am an ambitious young fellow chasing the big money), but I do see their point here. I don't want to try out business and end up left behind in the dust in the cutthroat business world. I was wondering if any people familiar with the situation could shed some light on "life after Stern" (such as the general job availability/security, the situation for those who do not quite make it to the top of the pyramid, as well as those who get weeded out and have to leave business altogether). </p>
<p>Thanks everyone for reading!</p>