Hello, I have been discussing with my son his future plans. He is currently in his Junior year in Economics at our state school. His GPA is 3.8+ and he is worried that he will not be employable when he graduates in 2021.
He is considering going straight into either Law School or an MBA program. He has taken the LSAT and scored 168 which could get him a pretty good package at some mid tier law schools but he is not committed to law. He is also looking at an MBA in sustainability or green or something similar that would feed his desire to make a difference in his career. I see that scholarships to schools are available but they are much fewer and they are pretty competitive.
I have read that top MBA programs like to see 2 years of work experience as part of the application. So would going straight into a lower level program actually enhance his prospects?
As he looks to me for advise, I am at a loss on how to advise him.
Going straight from college into an MBA program is unwise as MBA is primarily concerned with shared experiences & connections.
Does you son prefer to work alone or as part of a group ?
A 3.8 GPA & a 168 LSAT score should yield several full tuition scholarship offers when out of the T-14 law schools. Within the T-14 law schools, it should yield multiple acceptances and some partial tuition scholarships.
Are MBA programs collaborative or is it the business environment that is collaborative?
He does not like to rely on others when working on school projects but has done well working for and with others in his jobs outside of school. I am not sure about once he gets into the workforce. Looking around my own company, I can see people working together but everyone has their own sandbox. I think he would be fine in that environment.
I recommend law school or a specialized degree semi-related to business (e.g. Masters in Accounting, Informatics/Big Data, Statistics, Actuarial studies, etc.) that your son is interested in, so that a top flight MBA is still an option several years down the road.
I see no point in an MBA right after graduation. To me MBA = 90% sharing and learning from an experienced cohort, opening the opportunity for a career pivot, satisfying intellectual curiosity after a few years of employment, and learning things that will not be apparent but payoff in a meeting, presentation, decision, 10 years after graduation.
Frankly, I would hire the Econ major that strives to attain a top flight MBA in the future than the same Econ major that already attained an MBA directly after graduation.
^ I agree. MBA and JD are not the only options. There are a lot of master’s programs out there. I would not recommend a JD for someone who isn’t certain they want to be a lawyer or do some work that requires legal knowledge.
But why is your son worried about not being employable? Has he tried for internships? Worked on major projects in EC or in class? Researched industries he may be interested in? Networked within those industries?
If you work as well, you could give him insights too in to your industry.
MBA students with work experience receive the most benefits from MBA programs, while law students have no such avenue open to them.
(Paralegal work is quite different than the work of an attorney, although necessary and related. One with a paralegal background is unlikely to derive more from law school courses than a K-JD would. In fact, it can be harmful. Not so with respect to post college work experience and MBA coursework.)
I agree that many one year specialty masters programs are more appropriate for a recent college graduate than an MBA program.
Duke University offers a 10 month masters degree in business foundations for recent college graduates who did not study business during their undergraduate years. Duke’s program is open to all. Northwestern University has a similiar program limited to those with less than one year of post-undergraduate work experience who recently graduated from Northwestern University. NU’s program is only open to graduates of Northwestern University.
So I had another long talk with him last night. He is not opposed to looking working within a group and he knows that most students are older. His issue with finding a job is that he is young, but also very old.
I say he is young because he will graduate at age 20. I say that he is old because he really connects better with people that are at least a generation older than himself. He does not connect well with people his own age.
The program he is looking at is a 3 semester sustainability program. It is not a traditional MBA and it is not with a high ranking school.
“I say that he is old because he really connects better with people that are at least a generation older than himself. He does not connect well with people his own age.”
That’s a good thing in the workforce. So why doesn’t he just job hunt and research industries?
“The program he is looking at is a 3 semester sustainability program. It is not a traditional MBA and it is not with a high ranking school.”
Why that one instead of a non-MBA sustainability program?
There is pretty vague information given but here are my two cents:
A non-top tier MBA taken directly after a bachelor’s degree will likely not do a whole lot to improve job prospects (the only exception I can think of is if he does a MBA in public accounting if he wants to become a CPA).
If he wants law then that is a fine option. It really depends on if that is his interest.
Has your S been aggressive about going to career placement, attending on-campus job fairs etc.? If not I’d suggest he start now and work finding getting a good summer internship (maybe even one that could lead to a job offer). Working after graduation which could be a good option if he isn’t exactly sure what he wants in terms of grad school.
Agreed that a non top tier MBA directly after a bachelor’s degree will not improve the student’s job prospects. That can make the person worse off since that person is “overqualified”. This non top tier MBA is better served if the person is hoping to achieve the 150 units requirement or a 5th year to land a job with a CPA firm. For a job with a CPA firm, a Masters in Accounting or Tax would better serve that purpose.
I can’t see how going right into a sustainability-focused MBA at a non-top school would enhance the job prospects of someone with limited work experience. Seems like it is a way to avoid or postpone work experience. Econ majors can be hired for a variety of jobs and given that this student is a junior, looking at coursework related to predictive analytics for senior year would be a great option. Taking a course of two related to sustainability in the senior year would be a good option also. A job this summer related to future interests would be best - now is not too late to start working with the U’s career services office.