Job market for new MBA graduates

Question:   I am worried about investing two years of my time and money to do an MBA and not being able to find a good job afterwards that pays off my debt and opportunity cost of two years. Should I still go for it? How is the job market for fresh MBA graduates?

Emma:

Unlike many years ago, when the majority of freshly graduated MBA students opted for going into consulting or investment banking, MBA graduates now have many more options. Start-ups all over the world – and not just in Silicon Valley, but also in Israel, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia – are welcoming MBA graduates to join their teams and can afford them. Meanwhile, multi-national companies are also gearing up their management talent pipeline with new MBA graduates in light of the retirement wave of the baby boomers. As the economy (especially in the US) gets stronger, corporate recruiting is back on track. Many companies cut back too deep a few years back during the financial turmoil and now need to refill their pipeline in order to maintain and grow their businesses. Therefore, this is a great time to be a new MBA graduate.

That said; there are also more MBA graduates than ever – so competition for these jobs is still intense. The quality of different MBA programmes also vary greatly and thus it is important to pick a good programme that suits your goals and needs. Don’t go for it just because the job market is good. Pick wisely and do your homework well. Also, make sure that “finding a job after MBA” is NOT the only reason why you are doing it. Tides and waves often turn without much warning – many things can happen during two years while you are doing your MBA and you won’t be able to “hedge the risk” entirely to ensure you that you graduate at the most opportune time.