Neil Serafin ⋅ Easthampton, MA Telecommunications ⋅ 40 years experience

Go get a job now...get experience....see if you really like investment banking or project management....get your MA/MS later....I think there is a 10 year time out....the current economic expansion is long of tooth...what happened during the last stumble was lay-offs in the biz categories you are looking at....in the downturn the graduate schools were full....suggest now three sectors: war OEM's, water supplies and Telecom....you can contact me direct for any questions....good luck.

John (Casey) Roach ⋅ Greenwich, CT Merrill Lynch ⋅ 45 years experience

Spencer, Others may disagree, but an MBA in todays world is not as necessary as it was in the 70s an 80s. I would encourage you to look into and study for the CFA, Certified Financial Analyst designation. In many ways I believe you will find this of much greater practical value. If after you have achieved getting a CFA, you could consider taking an executive education MBA whereby yo study at home and attend classes on weekends. Many employers are willing to pay for this education whereas a traditional MBA will cost you in excess of $200K.
You appear to be a self starter - that is what outstanding firms are looking for - go get it. Call if you want more 203-861-5934

Mike Evan ⋅ Pittsburgh, PA BNY Mellon ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Spencer-

I think you're on the right track in terms of your thinking. I was a portfolio manager and trader on the buy-side (investment management) and my last 2 firms were Wall Street's biggest clients. I will concur with John R. that buy-side/sell-side (investment banking) firms, and consultants tend to recruit from the top business schools more than ever...my firm only recruited from those schools. I can't really comment on the MBV program but my advice on choosing an MBA program is to attend the best program that you can get into. That will improve your chances and your alumni network will be more valuable as they will be scattered throughout the top firms. With just a BA, it will be harder to break in unless it's from a top tier school. I'm not saying it can't be done but it will be much more difficult to get interviews. I still see people get into investment banking seats by working through the operations ranks...not glamorous work but it's a foot in the door and you can start building relationships and networking internally on day one. Sometimes an internal/known-quantity is a better route than an unknown quantity from a top tier school when sales/trading/banking seats open up internally. I've seen a lot of ivy leaguers fail, primarily due to weak inter-personal skills or their inability to handle a high-pressure environment--your service experience has already given you that which is a great asset.

Your leadership experience in the Navy is also a differentiator so continue to build your veterans network and leverage it in any way you can...LinkedIn is an amazing networking tool, use it. I was able to help place a Navy vet that I was mentoring at a sell-side firm in NY about 5 years ago...I'm sure hearing about his experience would be helpful--I'd be happy to connect the two of you, please message me directly if interested. Good luck.

Mike

Blair Tolbard ⋅ Woodstown, NJ NUB ⋅ 36 years experience

Lots of great advice. Get an MBA at a school with a large and active Alumni. The network matters as at least much as the degree you earn. I went to Penn State after serving in the Navy and have leveraged the Alumni many times in my 35 year career.

paul Centenari ⋅ Washington, DC atlas container ⋅ 99 years experience

Don’t waste time. Get an MBA. Use your resources (LinkedIn, military) to connect with investment banks now. You don’t have to be on Wall Street. Keep your geographical options open.

Glen Alleman ⋅ Longmont, CO Niwot Ridge LLC ⋅ 30 years experience

Spender,
I got an MS in Systems Management at USC that was a veterans-specific course but had civilians attending as well. That MSSM is no longer offered, but USC has excellent graduate programs.
Go on LinkedIn and search for USC alumni in MSSM and similar to see if there are people nearby you could get direct advice from with current degrees, mine was in 1980.

Joe Pierce ⋅ Jonesboro, AR Husqvarna Outdoor Products ⋅ 30 years experience

I was in the Navy for 6 years and when I became a civilian I found the pay was almost as bad as the military. I was and E6 when I got out and I worked for 4 years before I decided to go back to school. I concentrated on business and achieved an MBA in 3 years and one semester having started with 23 hours from the military experience and clepped courses
I highly recommend the MBA and am not familiar with the MVA
Find the area of work that you can do and enjoy for many years to come. The better the school the better the starting pay which is important for your salary and raises come as a percent of current pay

John Regan ⋅ Aurora, CO U.S. Army, Captain ⋅ 8 years served

Spencer, the two industries you listed as interested in - Investment Banking and Consulting - are littered with MBAs. If you want to really dive into a high profile firm, you should look up the people on LinkedIn whom you'd most like to emulate and see where they went to school and what kind of degrees they have.

Most likely you'll see that they attended a top-20 full-time MBA program at places like HBS, Booth, Wharton etc, but there is value to be had at schools outside of the top 5. With your math background, and interest in these types of businesses you should investigate MIT's MBA program at the Sloan School of Management, go full-time, and seek a high-level internship with a major consulting or banking firm in NY.

It's not for everyone, but I have some friends and colleagues who went that route after their military service and have done very well for themselves (for Navy guys that is, ha-ha)! Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn and I'd be happy to connect you with some folks.

Hope this reply isn't too late, I just realized your initial question was posted in October!

FRANCIS TEPEDINO, ESQ. ⋅ San Diego, CA THE CONDOR GROUP ⋅ 30 years experience

Consider a J. D. rather than an MBA. A Law Degree will open doors for you that you do not know exist. Law does not mean that you have to chase ambulances, dog bite cases or divorces.

Corporations are crying out for senior managers and executives who can keep the companies and Boards out of trouble.

Let me know if I can help.

Andrea Hannah ⋅ Nashville, TN UBS ⋅ 3 years experience

Spencer,

I’m not sure where you are in this process, given that your post was in October 2017. I would just say NO to any program that retitles traditional academic degree programs, when you want to pursue such a competitive function within the financial services industry, of Investment Banking.

For optimal success, aim for admission into prestigious public and private universities that offer additional support to veterans rather than separates you from the general graduate degree cohort.

And I agree with Francisco, consider the JD. There are two-year programs available, now.

Regards,

Andrea

cathy salerno ⋅ Flemington, NJ Johnson & Johnson ⋅ 35 years experience

Hi Spencer, congratulations and thank you for your service. I'd suggest looking for an MBA program that offers areas of specialization such as Innovation Management or Technology/Entrepreneuship. North Carolina State U has a program like that and my company hired someone into Business Development with the Innovation Management concentration. Good luck! Cathy

Mary Beth Myford ⋅ Fleetwood, PA Eurofins Lancaster Labs PSS ⋅ 25 years experience

Hi Spencer, I got my BS degree in Management Science which at Waynesburg was a Mathematics degree. I worked for a couple years and then got my masters degree at night. The time I spent working showed me that I wanted to use my mathematics in an industrial setting so I got an MS in Management Science from the Industrial Engineering school. This was much more in line with what I wanted. I only figured out what I wanted after I worked a couple years. I am happy with the path I took so I would recommend it. Good luck!

Jennifer Polhemus ⋅ Santa Monica, CA Precision Research (self-employed) ⋅ 25 years experience

Lots of different advice here. I'll add my view...

1. Fabulous choice of college major, good for you!
2. MBA and MS in Econ will give you very different skill sets. As an economist, i am biased, but there are loads of MBA-generalists out there. MS in econ will be distinctive & will teach you how to think and analyze. Be sure to meet with your professors regularly, & try to assist with some of their research. Become active in student organizations within econ/math. Practice your oral & written communication with organizations (even Toastmasters) & journalling, respectively.
3. For MBA, I suggest working first and then returning to school. For the MS Econ, get it now.
4. Another good tool to assess your interests/strengths is http://www.strengthsquest.com/home.aspx $10 online.
Good luck!

Henry ("Dr. Hank") Stevens ⋅ Fort Lauderdale, FL Human Resources Quality Assurance, LLC (Now Retired) ⋅ 50 years experience

Suggest you take a moment, step back, and find out IF you talents match up with your stated and intended course of action. Do they? I've known too many people who were following someone else's idea of what their dream career is. What are YOUR talents? Do they correlate with your academic direction? Here is a free ticket to a tool that should help you answer the question: http://www.humanmetrics.com/personality

If you need some help interpreting the results, contact me with the letter and percentage scores at hlstevens@att.net

FRANCIS TEPEDINO, ESQ. ⋅ San Diego, CA THE CONDOR GROUP ⋅ 30 years experience

So far, you have a good background. My suggestion: take the LSAT (law school admissions test.). If you do well - as you should with your math background, think about a Law Degree. (Many schools such as my Alma Mater- The University of San Diego School of Law), have a J.D/(Juris Doctor/MBA combination program.).

Let me tell you, a JD will open doors for you that you do not know exist!.

I am on the Board of my Law School and perhaps can offer some additional insights.

Frank Tepedino, condorgrup@aol.com

Anthony J. Munafo ⋅ Hawthorne, NY ISM (Integrated Systems Management) ⋅ 35 years experience

Your best bet is to canvass the very industry you want to become a part of.. Investment banking! Why the schools do not engage them for you, is still beyond me. You want o go any and I mean ANY investment bank like Banc of America(not bank, Banc it is there Investment arm) and go in as an intern. remember even "doctors to be", start out as interns, so leave pride at the door. Take whatever position to get into such a program and even work for little or no pay, for the first few months, to get a foothold. this is just like war, you take ground a little at a time before charging forward at full gallop. Go get them! Good luck and keep in touch. Tony Munafo

John Green ⋅ Cary, NC Information Technology ⋅ 40 years experience

Hi Spencer, The market pays for specialized skills. So far, you've described generalized skills. What skill area will you specialize in ? See Robert Half salary guides for ideas.

https://www.roberthalf.com/salary-guide