<p>is there a list of the pre-MBA salaries for applicants applying to top MBA programs? i'm curious to see the immediate added value of the MBA (obviously it has long-term value too) and to also see what the income caliber of applicants are. </p>
<p>btw, dont some applicants (perhaps ibankers?) already make more (including bonus) than the listed average MBA salaries + bonus at top MBA programs?</p>
<p>
[quote]
is there a list of the pre-MBA salaries for applicants applying to top MBA programs? i'm curious to see the immediate added value of the MBA (obviously it has long-term value too) and to also see what the income caliber of applicants are.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Can be derived from here, from the salary percentage increase data.</p>
<p>
[quote]
btw, dont some applicants (perhaps ibankers?) already make more (including bonus) than the listed average MBA salaries + bonus at top MBA programs?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeah but they're working a lot harder than the average MBA graduate too. IB analysts work deadly hours. The average MBA grad makes less than some IB analysts, but also doesn't have to work those deadly hours. For example, after you get the MBA, if you just want to get a general management job with a regular company that won't push you to work long hours. I know people who have elite MBA's who took jobs at companies like Cisco, IBM, Boeing, Honeywell, and the like and they freely admit that they only work maybe 40-45 hours a week. That's like a vacation to an IB analyst. </p>
<p>And besides, it's not like you really get free choice about staying in IB anyway. Only a small minority of analysts will be directly promoted to the associate level. The rest of them will be released. It's not like you can just decide to stay in IB and continue to make a lot of money (while working long hours), as opposed to doing something else (i.e. getting your MBA) as that decision is not entirely up to you. A lot of former Ibankers go to business school because they got released from their job, and they decide that B-school is the best choice they have available to further their career.</p>
<p>Well, it's extremely difficult to generalize, because it depends on the company, on your industry, and (of course) on your own operational competence and political skills. There are some dynamic companies in which highly competent who are also skilled office politicians can be promoted every few years (or even faster). Then there are plenty of other companies in which it is extremely difficult to move up no matter how well you do your job, because the culture of the company respects seniority as opposed to merit. {Heck, there are some companies in which being highly competent is actually a negative for your career because you may be so good at your job that your manager feels threatened that you will replace him, so the safe thing for him to do is find a reason to terminate you.}</p>