Which are the easiest Finance jobs to get for an MBA grad in Toronto?

Water Cooler Careers
#1

To give a little context, I’ve worked as a Product Manager at one of India’s largest media conglomerates for 2.5 years and have no prior Finance experience. I’ll be starting my MBA at Schulich from August of this year and want to know which areas/fields I should aim for to get a job, as I hear PE/M&A are really difficult to get into. I have already started my research and look forward to your responses to help me figure out where I should be concentrating in this crucial time.

#2

plumber

#3

Bang Bus guest star.

#4

I have already taken that for the next 5 episodes.

#5

Stick to technology. No one gives a shit about your indian work experience. Unless you do a top 10 MBA your chances of jobs in finance are low. Technology is the future.

#6

Why did you make 3 posts asking similar things?

#7

He also made a post about this on reddit. I take it he didn’t like the responses so he came here for different responses.

#8

Just trying to get different perspectives guys… Useful suggestions are always appreciated!

#9

Thanks for your response! Do you think it’d be easier to get jobs in Technology as compared to Finance? Do you recommend any certifications like PMP which might be useful for this?

#10

^Yes. For Sure it is much easier to work in the tech sector with your background.I don’t know anything about the PMP or any other certifications for that matter, but generally speaking, the tech sector makes more sense given that:

  1. You already have experience in the field.
  2. You probably have to adjust your accent/culture for roles in finance but technology is full of immigrants.
  3. The MBA you are attending isn’t a prestigious badge of honor.
  4. Many Tech Companies may move their offices to Canada in light of Trump presidency and more jobs will be open.
  5. Tech is generally a much larger sector than finance given that a teller in a bank is not considered a role in finance.

If you do think of the tech sector the MBA wouldn’t make much sense and your programming skills are more important than anything.You should have a github account and a ready to display portfolio.Keep in mind that your product manager job may have had little actual programming skills involved but I tend to think you won’t have much success transitioning to a pure product manager role simply because of the cultural differences and whatnot. If you have a previous degree in CS I think further going down that route would be a better option than an MBA from that specific school.

#11

That’s fine except there are a couple of reasons why I’m doing this:

  • I’m doing an MBA because I hate coding (I was previously a coder at Adobe).

  • I’m doing it in MBA because of the friendly visa regime, I get a 3 year work visa, no strings attached post-MBA. It is also half the cost of an American MBA. In USA, as MBA isn’t a STEM degree, I get one shot at the H1B with a 30% chance of success.

  • By the time I applied, it was already round 3 at Rotman (Ivey and Queens’ are both 1 year programs).

I’m interested in the fields of Tech, Finance and Consulting and need to figure out which way to proceed:

  • As I clearly see Finance is very difficult to get into, Product/Project Management or Marketing roles would be tad easier?

  • If not, maybe consulting roles would be easier to get into?

  • As far as cultural differences go, I have stayed in the US for a few years in my school days and am confident that I won’t let that be an issue.

I ask this primarily to figure out which area I should focus on, given my prior experience as a PM and the difficult Toronto job market.

#12

Mcdonalds server?

#13

You get what you pay for. Wife has an MBA from Queen’s. She wouldn’t be upset if I used her degree as toilet paper.

Queens / Ivey / Schulich… all about the same with maybe Ivey having a slight leg up. As brutal as the comments may be… better you know now rather than regretting it after wasting valuable time and money.

#14

Seems like OP is doing the MBA to get a Canadian visa. So, any job that sponsors his application would probably be acceptable. But yeah, don’t expect to be in the same room as Wharton graduates when recruitment comes around.

#15

^

You might be right, but maybe the OP has personal aspiration of going into finance as well? If the only goal was to get a Canadian visa… then he would be better off coming over through an investment visa (given that he’s got enough money to support himself through and MBA / living expenses) or going into a trade that is in-demand.

I am sure there are better investments than a Schulich MBA in a futile attempt to get into finance in a really tough market saturated with CA’s (CPA’s) / CFA’s / MBA graduates.

#16

I agree that OP’s expectations might not be in line with his opportunity, but we have to make do with what we have… If he was Harvard material, he’d be going to Harvard.

#17

not too sure about your MBA program but i have couple friends from U of T MBA program and they are doing very well right now. Both in the Toronto area. One dude got a house in Oakville back in 2012…that place has some of the best looking houses i have ever seen…

#18

That’s the thing. Top 10 MBA programs in the US have what, 10,000 graduates every year? What happens to those who get their MBAs from mid-tier or even crappy state schools? There are lots of instances of people who go on to do well in life without a top MBA. It helps “bigly”, but it’s not the end of the world if you can’t get in Tuck, Wharton or HBS. One of my close friends got a MBA from Oregon State University, and got a job at Deloitte as an IT consultant. He’s no high roller but has a nice stable career.

#19

  1. Don’t use Tuck in the same sentence as Wharton and HBS ever again. Tuck is not in the same tier.

  2. IT Consultant at Deloitte? +1 for mediocre aspirations.

#20

Thanks for the comments. I do understand what I’m getting into: I’ve been told I’ll have a better shot at the not-so-“hot” areas of Finance like Corp Finance, FP&A and Treasury. Obviously I’d be looking at good opportunities to get into a nice Product Management role in a tech company too.

And you’re right: Finance is secondary, my target is to get a stable job in Canada as I’ve been wanting to move there since forever! Although I’m a little disappointed that Canadian MBAs aren’t the best, I’m sure I can make the most of it while I’m there.

Though to everyone else: Rather than harping about my mediocrity and inability to make it to Harvard, it’ll help a poor Indian IT guy if you can come up with some real suggestions on which areas of finance to look at and how best to go about it. And I have an offer from Haas as well, but I just don’t think with the crappy visa regime I can take chances with the student loan. I know many would differ, but I have to be most pragmatic and least risky here.