This topic isn't per-se about MBA programs, but theres no career section on the board so I think it's most relevant here:
As a young to-be MBA student with little experience (2-years) I'm starting to look seriously at specifics regarding career prospects. One of my key concerns, outside of many of the opportunities that an MBA offers, is to maintain a good work-life balance - I do realize that this is a give-and-take, but I'm sure there are plenty of MBA grads who would give 25% of their salary for 25% less work.. What do you guys see as business careers that offer this? I know this won't always be easy to break down either in terms of function, or industry as simple generalizations… but what would you look for if you wanted to ensure a positive worklife balance?
I take the criteria for work-life balance to be (in order of importance):
- average weekly hours
I would think 40-50 on average is doable (and why shouldn't it be??), but seems surprisingly rare..
- vacation per year
- work flexibility
- opportunities for unpaid leave (sabbatical)
Do any business careers allow for this without you taking a big hit??
I know government has a good reputation (pretty consistent, but offers some other negatives), and I've also heard that the non-profit sector has more of a balanced culture, but I'm not sure how justified this reputation is. Otherwise I hear that 'industry' management jobs are pretty hit-and-miss - corporate finance, business development, internal corporate strategy….. What about Management Consulting outside of the big firms - are there successful boutique firms that offer their employees better hours? Is commercial banking generally decent? I think its better than IB, but that doesn't mean its sane
.
Does geography play any role on this culture? In Vancouver (city with a laid-back reputation - think Portland/San Fransisco) Deloitte consulting just won some work-life balance employer award. I have no idea how that happened….?
My own personal dillema if anyone cares: I'm choosing between Toronto schools. The one school (Rotman-UofT) I believe is stronger, and has many things to attract me, but they are very consulting and finance focused - feeding a lot of people into MC and IB. The other school (Schulich-York) would be less preferable, but they are strong in non-profit, public management, and feeds more people into 'industry'. I havn't decided on what I'm going to do, but I think if gov't or non-profit are some of the only places that I'll be likely to find a work-life balance than I should start focusing as early as possible. My interests, as far as my experience goes are generally strategy, organizational operations, and business development.
As a young to-be MBA student with little experience (2-years) I'm starting to look seriously at specifics regarding career prospects. One of my key concerns, outside of many of the opportunities that an MBA offers, is to maintain a good work-life balance - I do realize that this is a give-and-take, but I'm sure there are plenty of MBA grads who would give 25% of their salary for 25% less work.. What do you guys see as business careers that offer this? I know this won't always be easy to break down either in terms of function, or industry as simple generalizations… but what would you look for if you wanted to ensure a positive worklife balance?
I take the criteria for work-life balance to be (in order of importance):
- average weekly hours
I would think 40-50 on average is doable (and why shouldn't it be??), but seems surprisingly rare..
- vacation per year
- work flexibility
- opportunities for unpaid leave (sabbatical)
Do any business careers allow for this without you taking a big hit??
I know government has a good reputation (pretty consistent, but offers some other negatives), and I've also heard that the non-profit sector has more of a balanced culture, but I'm not sure how justified this reputation is. Otherwise I hear that 'industry' management jobs are pretty hit-and-miss - corporate finance, business development, internal corporate strategy….. What about Management Consulting outside of the big firms - are there successful boutique firms that offer their employees better hours? Is commercial banking generally decent? I think its better than IB, but that doesn't mean its sane
.Does geography play any role on this culture? In Vancouver (city with a laid-back reputation - think Portland/San Fransisco) Deloitte consulting just won some work-life balance employer award. I have no idea how that happened….?
My own personal dillema if anyone cares: I'm choosing between Toronto schools. The one school (Rotman-UofT) I believe is stronger, and has many things to attract me, but they are very consulting and finance focused - feeding a lot of people into MC and IB. The other school (Schulich-York) would be less preferable, but they are strong in non-profit, public management, and feeds more people into 'industry'. I havn't decided on what I'm going to do, but I think if gov't or non-profit are some of the only places that I'll be likely to find a work-life balance than I should start focusing as early as possible. My interests, as far as my experience goes are generally strategy, organizational operations, and business development.
