Thinking about an MBA? Think Class of 2015

by , Feb 7, 2012

Hey everyone, Im a former junior military officer (JMO) who separated from the U.S. Army in 2010. Ive been exploring various career fields since Ive transitioned and now Im embarking on the MBA journey. Ive recently started blogging about my efforts because Ive fallen into many of the common pitfalls that JMOs face as they transition out of the military and I hope that by sharing my experiences, you can make better decisions in your own transition.

There are three main paths JMOs take after separating from the service:

1. Getting a job
2. Going to school
3. Starting a company

My main goal in this post is to describe all of these options and and to explain why going to grad school, and especially for an MBA, is what I consider the best option.

1. Getting a job.

A lot of JMOs want to dive straight into a new job. Thats what I did and theres nothing really wrong with that. However, how do you really know what field you want to get into? We are very similar to college students going into the job market for the first time. Unlike college students, we don't have the luxury to change jobs 3-5 times without making hiring mangers look at us like lepers. So there actually might be some advantage to using a tactical pause before jumping ship. If you go with a JMO recruiter to explore your options, understand that they get paid when you sign a contract. So your best interests arent always aligned with their financial interests. You can also contact companies that directly hire vets, like Amazon or Booz Allen Hamilton, to learn more about them.

Im going to assume that you fall into one of two camps. The first camp is people who just want to chill out after many deployments. You just want a 9-5 and then collect a paycheck. The second camp is folks who want use their combat experience and transition into another high-responsibility, revenue-generating, or client-facing role for a top tiered company. If you are in the first camp, ignore the rest of this post and just get a job. You deserve the rest time and you can

explore your career options 1-2 years later.

However, if you fall into the second camp, it is often the case that top-tiered firms will want you to have an MBA from a top school even just to compete. So if you go straight into a regular job right after you transition, you have a low probability of even getting one of these top jobs. The time you spend in the regular job most likely will not help you land a top job. In fact, it may even hurt you. To save time and effort, I highly recommend you look into an MBA as a stepping

stone to these top jobs.

2. Going to school.

Ive seen two main types of degrees pursued by JMOs business or policy. Ive applied to 14 business schools and 1 policy school so I cant speak too much about the policy degree. I do know that from my research, I enjoy that field, although it just doesnt pay too much. Youve got a tremendous advantage by applying to MBA programs because they love JMOs, especially if you graduated from a service academy. They are also figuring out the difference between

special operation forces, combat arms, and service support. Hate to say it, but a large portion of vets Ive met at the top schools are Navy SEALS, Army Rangers, Green Berets, Air Force Pararescue, and probably some Marine Recon but I havent personally met one yet. Besides the special operation studs, business schools like logistics officers as well.

If you are not going to a top business school or can't get into a top business school - I say at least top 16 - its almost not even worth the time and cost. Sure the GI Bill will cover a lot of the cost, especially if your school participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. However, the opportunity cost of losing two years' worth of wages on top of valuable experiences that you can learn on the job is just too much. A better option is just to knock out a part-time MBA instead while working full-time.

3. Starting a company.

Some JMOs choose to start their own company, or at least try to do so. I actually recommend against this. Sure, maybe one JMO may become Steve Jobs, but the other 99.9% won't. I'm not trying to be negative, but I really don't believe JMOs gained the business fundamentals necessary to run a startup while leading combat missions in Iraq or Afghanistan. I think JMOs are much better off just going into an MBA program because there are more funding opportunities

as well as networking opportunities so you can meet and convince people with different backgrounds to join your team, i.e. technical, marketing, sales, etc. Sure, JMOs have general management, but general management isn't going to help in a 3-person startup.

If I have convinced you to pursue an MBA, my next step is to convince you not to apply to Round 3 this Spring (if you haven't already applied). I think it's too late to build a great case for yourself and it's better for you to take the time to ace the GMAT and get your ducks in order and apply this fall for the class of 2015.

My next post will be about what you should do from now until September to get ready. Seven months isn't a lot of time.

If you are interested in reading my other posts, click here to check out my blog.