Friday, July 24

MBA and Job Switches

I am in a dillema for past few months. I have been working for past 5 years and I have already worked with 3 organizations{ and due to a severe accident i had to stay at home for 6 months, so there's a gap of 6 months in my resume}. I will be applying to b-schools next year in R1 and R2, recently i got an offer from a consulting firm. So i am confused whether to stick to my current job {for stability per se} or make the move.

Before i invite thoughts of fellow bloggers and b-school students and alums, i would like to share my story with you all. I am a Mechanical Engg and started working for a leading automobile manufacturer in my country. But soon i realized that i don't have a flair for manufacturing. The job on the shop floor is too monotonous {until and unless you are in design shop} and then i got a project which involved lots of analysis and strategy formulation. I performed brilliantly on this project and the project was selected as one of the best projects of the year. Then i met with an accident and had to stay at home for 6 months. It was during this time i realized that i would fit best in an industry where i could put my analytical ability to the best of use.

As i spoke to my friends and college seniors they advised me to look for a job in consulting domain. With all the time at hand, i researched a lot more about consulting industry and felt that i can work happily for the rest of my life in a consulting firm.

I sent my resume to a lot of consulting firms but never got any invite from any of the firms. I was disheartened but i applied to an analytics firm and was selected. I started working as an analyst and really enjoyed my work. At times i had to bust my ass for 36 hours at a stretch but i never complained because i loved what i was doing. The projects were challenging, i could see my efforts helping the client and there was huge learning.

Unfortunately, my organization's biggest client started a captive centre and took away all the business. The firm bled badly and with its future looking bleak there was an exodus of employees from the organization. I followed the suit.

Next, I joined the analytics team of one of the biggest bank in the world. The team was new and i got an opportunity to work on some of the good projects. The best part was that i helped my team grow from 2 people to 15 in a span of 2 years. Currently i am leading a fairly big group of analysts. Have already got one out of term promotion and might get second in next 6-8 months.

Now i have got an offer from one of the consulting firms {not the top 3} and i am in a big confusion. I want to get into consulting post MBA and this switch will really help me when i sit for placements in b-school. BUT, i already have 2 job switches on my resume and i don't want to be perceived as a job hopper by the Adcoms, so am not sure what to do.

I have a big chance of getting promoted in next few months in my current organization {would be my 2nd promotion in 30 months} which can be a very positive factor when i apply to b-schools.

In nutshell, i want to invite thoughts of my able fellow bloggers so that i can cover various pros and cons and finally take a better decision.

3 comments:

SiD said...

After MBA, Brand Name with which you have worked will be a factor.. so if your present brand is better stick to it...

Personally, I wud go for promotion and stick because ur present priority is MBA.. new co. may result in some mental instability as u try to adjust in the new environs and establish yourself!!...

KT said...

thanku sir g...thats what i was thinking too...you have re-inforced my thoughts....in jammu??

Marisa said...

I came across your blog and hope I might be able to be of help. I work for Veritas Prep, a GMAT test preparation and admissions consulting company and if you're interested in some advice about your next move, shoot me an email at marisa(at)veritasprep(dot)com and hopefully we can provide you with some useful information.

Good luck!
Marisa Peck