<p>Hi all,
I am an engineer by profession (MS in Comp sc and eng) and with a couple of years of work ex. I am planning a career switch, with investment banking as a possible alternative. But I am not fully committed to it yet, as I am a sort of hands on person and unless I am really doing it I find it hard to get a feel of the work.
Can you guys tell me if a grad program in economics too can eventually lead me to a career in investment banking? if yes, MA or PhD?
I understand that a top MBA program will be a much bettter guaranteed path to an IB job, but if econ grad can also lead me to it, then I'd prefer it over an MBA.
Can someone help?</p>
<p>Any comments please...</p>
<p>Uhh...</p>
<p>You're sure investment banking is a wise career decision at this point? Am I the only one here who watches the news?</p>
<p>MBA might be hard to get into if you're not the right type. You haven't said enough about yourself for anyone to gauge that, but I will say that science/engineering types are not a shoo-in for a good program.</p>
<p>A PhD in Econ is very research oriented. If I were you (with a background in CS/Engineering) I would go ahead with an MBA since you are unsure of yourself and I-Banking. At least with an MBA you could still fall back on a upper-mgmt position if you decide to remain in tech. If you are truly passionate about getting into I-Banking and absolutely desire a masters over MBA then take a look into an MS in Finance, MS Financial Mathematics, etc. An MS in Finance should equip you quantitatively enough for I-Banking. Keep in mind that getting into I-Banking is a pretty difficult process, usually requiring tons of interning and networking.</p>
<p>I'm sure I-Banks hire Economics PhDs, but I don't think they specifically go out to recruit them. The Econ PhD isn't for the IB kind of job; it's more for academia and positions such as at the World Bank and Central Bank. The things you learn at Business school would definitely be much more useful for an IB job, and the MBA (often?) doesn't even take half as long as the PhD does.</p>