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Official Pit Job Search/Employment Thread

Any opinions on getting an MBA from the Pit business experts? Here is my situation. I have 12 or so years of highly linear progression in financial services but am absolutely desperate to find a more challenging/intellectually stimulating job. A very high percentage of the jobs that I would consider are heavily biased toward candidates with an MBA. I’m not super enthusiastic about doing it for a few reasons:

1) I think MBAs have started to be viewed as less valuable and for a variety of reasons think that trend will continue to accelerate.
2) Have a few friends who just graduated from Fuqua and they enjoyed the experience but the classes seemed pretty easy. Not sure how much they really took away from the classes other than exceptional mastery of the B school buzzword vocabulary.
3) These programs are staggeringly expensive and I would be in the position of absorbing the cost myself.
4) Related to 3, most of the jobs I see posted would likely involve a significant pay cut. I’m comfortable with taking maybe $50-75k less in total comp for the right job but can’t really justify doing that AND paying >$100k for the degree.

Thoughts?

I did a MBA through Western Carolina (night classes at UNCA), that, in total might have cost a little more than $20K if I remember correctly (I started in the fall of 2008)
Of course, in the finance world, I'm sure no one is impressed by a degree from directional state university, but it "checked a box" that you seem to want to check.
In my experience, it was pretty much a no-brainer as I was told if I graduated my company would (almost completely) reimburse tuition and give me a significant raise...but I had to do night classes and keep working
But if you need to check a box, then think about doing a part time program as they seem to be (for whatever reason) cheaper than others. Maybe that's not the case anymore or maybe Western was just a really good deal. My brother did one through the University of Florida (he lived in Florida at the time) which he claimed was also cheaper than the full time program.
Granted I did all this while I was single and had no other time commitments, so leaving the house at 7am and getting home a 10pm 3 nights/week + homework for a few years wasn't a problem...these days, with a wife and 2 samll kids, I don't know if that would fly for me (although I know people in my program who had a wife and kids at the time)
 
Appreciate the input everyone.

Nonny — Good to hear from you. Thanks for checking in. Definitely need to get a bit more systematic in working my connections to uncover opportunities.

Bacon — That’s a heck of a deal. Even UNC, which is hardly regarded as a top program, is listed at $125k (!!) for two years. And most employers limit tuition reimbursement to the annual tax deduction limit of $5,250.

Going to adopt the mindset that I need to double down on networking and applying internally and externally over the next 6 months while we are in a bit of a holding pattern.
 
Anyone have job opportunity connections in Charleston, SC? My younger daughter recently moved there with no job (longish story) and is looking. She has 3 years experience in the event planning/management industry - working for an upscale restaurant chain in Greenville, SC. The hospitality industry is obviously struggling overall right now so she isn't seeing that many opportunities being advertised.
She is interested in changing industries but doesn't have actual experience in other industries. I think she could be good at sales but it scares her a bit - the right type of sales would interest her - she is great with people, very organized, driven and detail-oriented...
She has had some temporary work down there as an executive assistant for a lawyer, but that is ending...

PM me if you have any ideas or connections...
 
Anyone have job opportunity connections in Charleston, SC? My younger daughter recently moved there with no job (longish story) and is looking. She has 3 years experience in the event planning/management industry - working for an upscale restaurant chain in Greenville, SC. The hospitality industry is obviously struggling overall right now so she isn't seeing that many opportunities being advertised.
She is interested in changing industries but doesn't have actual experience in other industries. I think she could be good at sales but it scares her a bit - the right type of sales would interest her - she is great with people, very organized, driven and detail-oriented...
She has had some temporary work down there as an executive assistant for a lawyer, but that is ending...

PM me if you have any ideas or connections...

Your description of your daughter suggest she would be successful in sales. Most sales oriented companies have developed a product specific formula that has been successful. The hard part is learning and following that approach until it's reflexive. Simple but difficult.
 
I’m in the midst of a very unusual internal job application process. I submitted my application only a day or two after the job was posted and was immediately contacted by the internal recruiter to set up a 30 min call with the hiring manager. The conversation was good but focused heavily on the team and scope of this job which is a newly-created role. Then absolute silence for 10 days or so followed by getting 3 more phone interviews scheduled out of the blue. Again good conversations but not very technical or challenging. Also each of these conversations has been only 30 minutes and by phone only so difficult to gauge how the other person is feeling. Just finished the 3rd of those this morning and plan to send an email to the hiring manager to reconnect and restate my case for the role but have absolutely no feeling on where things stand.
 
How often would you say you get a reply to a TY email? Had a first rounder with someone in HR and he replied to my TY letter within about an hour of me sending. We left the call that he’d be in touch next week, but in all my years I dunno if I’ve ever gotten a casual reply to a TY email.
 
Resurrecting this thread to put myself out there.

I resigned last week from my position and I am looking for a new job.

I have spent majority of my career in nonprofit work doing community engagement, advocacy, grant writing and management, program development, and for the last three years I have been the Executive Director of a local field office of a humanitarian organization that works with refugees, immigrants, and survivors of human trafficking.

Looking for something based in the Triad, but open to travel. Would like to stay in the NP field, or at least an organization that does some active good in the community and has an understanding of community power dynamics and its role in that. Non-Faith based organization would be a big plus.

Any leads/connections would be appreciated.
 
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oh man, you willing to share why you left? seemed like you were in a spot that was a good fit for you.
 
Thanks for that. I absolutely loved my job and the people we served - and, with all humility, was pretty good at it.

I won't say much, other than unfortunately, the values and direction of the organization as a whole no longer matched my own.
 
Job hunting annoyance! Applied for an internal position - would be a big jump for me - this late in my career it would be the last jump I would need. I was encouraged to apply by my boss. Interviews went great. I was told there were only two candidates, me and the guy who was doing the job as interim since the other person left. Long story short, I didn't get it. Feedback I received was that my interviews were all great, no negative feedback or concerns at all, everyone loved me - "we decided since he is already doing the job we would just leave him there"... Really? Probably age discrimination but no way to prove it - the other guy is probably 15-20 years younger.
 
Job hunting annoyance! Applied for an internal position - would be a big jump for me - this late in my career it would be the last jump I would need. I was encouraged to apply by my boss. Interviews went great. I was told there were only two candidates, me and the guy who was doing the job as interim since the other person left. Long story short, I didn't get it. Feedback I received was that my interviews were all great, no negative feedback or concerns at all, everyone loved me - "we decided since he is already doing the job we would just leave him there"... Really? Probably age discrimination but no way to prove it - the other guy is probably 15-20 years younger.

No idea your job, just my impression as someone who has seen lots of situations like this.

1 - Often, a candidate is already identified that team wants and they have to post the job description when someone has the inside track.

2 - He is almost certainly cheaper than you and already "doing" the role. Sometimes the guy doing a decent job is perfectly acceptable, and bringing someone more qualified/experienced can cause issues rather than just let the temp solution continue the job adequately.

My guess it is has nothing to do with the quality of your interviews or work, more of at least one of the things listed above. So keep your head up!
 
No idea your job, just my impression as someone who has seen lots of situations like this.

1 - Often, a candidate is already identified that team wants and they have to post the job description when someone has the inside track.

2 - He is almost certainly cheaper than you and already "doing" the role. Sometimes the guy doing a decent job is perfectly acceptable, and bringing someone more qualified/experienced can cause issues rather than just let the temp solution continue the job adequately.

My guess it is has nothing to do with the quality of your interviews or work, more of at least one of the things listed above. So keep your head up!

I know, just annoying - it is probably mostly #2, I would guess. But it sucks when that job would have been the culmination of a 30+ year career at the same company and would have really put the icing on the cake of my retirement readiness...
 
Alright, i’m at that point. Does anybody know of anything opening up or available in the Winston-Highpoint-Greensboro area?

I have been working with special needs children for 5 years and I am completely burnt out and need to find a career where I can work with and talk to adults. I am a personable well spoken person, i’m creative and semi-talented with visual arts. I also have experience with sales and entrepreneurship, particularly in multimedia technology and sports/fashion. My skill set is stronger in problem solving and detail observation than in following directions
(Just being honest)
 
Coming to the conclusion that working from home is bad for me. I have been doing it uninterrupted for the past ~3 years (started before Covid) and there is just too much isolation/lack of human interaction for large chucks of the day. I don't want to be distracted in the office, and I recognize the need for more in-person interaction with others.

Since 2018, I have basically been a hybrid worker (went into the office occasionally) and then it became straight remote. I would prefer not to change jobs, I have been with my company for coming up on 4 years. Overall, it has been a positive experience for me with supportive management. This is one of the most flexible companies I have worked with regarding schedule and physical location.

Unfortunately, there is no hybrid office near me. I don't think they would pay for me to do a solo co-working space. My options as I see it are:
1 - pay for a co-working space myself a few times a week
2 - move to an area where I have access to one of our offices
3 - change jobs, though I am concerned because the area I live in now does not have a robust industry in my line of work, so commuting further likely is on the table
4 - setup some kind of arrangement where I can travel more during the week to other offices?

Has anyone else dealt with this recently?
 
How often do you need to go, how far away is a co office, and how long would you stay? We went remote then hybrid. Then we started hiring fully remote. So I'm moving north (relatively) to Windemere outiside Orlando. I have to come back to S fl for 2 days at a time timed to quarter end, and I'll likely end up coming south 2-3 days a month prior to quarter end. But we have centers in Orlando that if I need something I can go to to get mail and that kind of thing. There are also other remote workers in Orlando area.

I'm getting a bigger house for less than I was paying on my current one, but now I'll need to cover some travel costs.

For you, could you turn going into the office into a overnight trip? Long weekend kind of thing?
 
I find myself in a pretty lucky situation with multiple offers. This has never happened before so I would appreciate some advice. Both are remote. Money is pretty similar. My concerns are being able to work internationally, as my wife gets stationed overseas, and finding the job after this one.

Offer 1 is a corporate gig. A step up from what I am doing. Different industry but still tech based. International company. They have been really slow in this process and initially they asked if I could wait 3 months for an offer, and also wanted me to work West Coast hours, but they have decided not to require that. I think tech is a great niche to be in for future jobs, and because of the international thing I am not worried about them letting me work from overseas. I am afraid though that the things I dislike about my current job will still be present in this job.

Offer 2 is a non-profit. Significant title bump, but its a really small legal group so its not that much of a promotion. This role is more of what I did before switching to the tech industry. US based, would require a little travel. Less corporate BS and I think I would enjoy the idea of doing a little bit of good rather than just making money. For international, the boss just said as long as I can be online for the necessary meetings he doesn't care where I am. Since the boss was just hired, there really is no room for promotion, and the steps for the next job aren't as clear. These guys moved very quick though and seem really excited about me potentially joining.

I am 35, married with 2 kids. Looks like we will be in the US for the next 3 years, but that could change. I don't know if now is the time to make the safe choice or to try something different.
 
Inform Offer 1 of Offer 2 (without naming the company obvi) and the accompanying title? See if Offer 1 will match the equivalent title and bump to the accompanying pay band?
 
I find myself in a pretty lucky situation with multiple offers. This has never happened before so I would appreciate some advice. Both are remote. Money is pretty similar. My concerns are being able to work internationally, as my wife gets stationed overseas, and finding the job after this one.

Offer 1 is a corporate gig. A step up from what I am doing. Different industry but still tech based. International company. They have been really slow in this process and initially they asked if I could wait 3 months for an offer, and also wanted me to work West Coast hours, but they have decided not to require that. I think tech is a great niche to be in for future jobs, and because of the international thing I am not worried about them letting me work from overseas. I am afraid though that the things I dislike about my current job will still be present in this job.

Offer 2 is a non-profit. Significant title bump, but its a really small legal group so its not that much of a promotion. This role is more of what I did before switching to the tech industry. US based, would require a little travel. Less corporate BS and I think I would enjoy the idea of doing a little bit of good rather than just making money. For international, the boss just said as long as I can be online for the necessary meetings he doesn't care where I am. Since the boss was just hired, there really is no room for promotion, and the steps for the next job aren't as clear. These guys moved very quick though and seem really excited about me potentially joining.

I am 35, married with 2 kids. Looks like we will be in the US for the next 3 years, but that could change. I don't know if now is the time to make the safe choice or to try something different.

If the cash value of the offers including all benefits is pretty similar then it really comes down to how each job is going to score with respect to quality of life, happiness, and growth opportunities. When weighing some similar factors in my own job search, I felt like taking a role at a smaller organization would ultimately provide an opportunity to make a bigger impact which would allow me to leverage that experience into an internal promotion or outside role down the road. With bigger companies, it can be hard to be more than just another cog in the wheel.

Based only on what you've typed here, if it were me, I'd be headed towards job 2 for the simple factor of the title bump (and what that might mean for looking for the next job) and the excitement from the org about me and the fact that company 1 is showing signs of being more of what I'm trying to leave.

Congratulations on multiple offers and best of luck to you!
 
Wanted you to work West Coast hours but then backed off sounds like they're trying to get you in the door and you'll end up being asked to join a lot of late afternoon/evening meetings at the very least (and if you go back to Europe, it's a bigger problem).
 
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