Hi,

I am a biochemist and have worked in sales/business dev for a global biotech company for 3 yrs now and I am planning my next career move.
I have been accepted to INSEAD to start in the fall of 2010. My current employer have been very supportive in the application process and is supporting me with 50% of the total fee. For the remaining part I have scholarships covering it.

I contacted the HR-mgr at Mckinsey in my region to hear more about their post MBA opps. We had a very good discussion which ended up by me sending them my cv. To make a long story short I got invited for interviews which ended up in a job offer. I would join as an experienced hire associate, the same level as I would post-MBA.

So my dilemma is if I should accept the offer or to do my MBA? The MBA is fully financed and would only cost me time and loss of income.

In a 3-5 yr perspective my goal is to break into VC/PE.

Br,
Confused

Any ideas...someone?

Would really appreciate some answers.

I think it would depend on what your career goals are, and especially, where you're at already in your career. Generally, having an MBA is better than not having one, except if you are already making the kind of salary post-MBA grads are getting.

For INSEAD's graduates, the median salary is about $147k.

Hi Ralph,

first of all thanks for the answer.
In my existing job I am making around 110KUSD incl bonus.
I also have a new BMW as a company car. Also the work weeks are not long, about 40-45h. For the McKinsey job the salary is better, but the hours are much longer and no car.

As I wrote my goal is to land a job in VC/PE after the McKinsey job, so do you think the MBA would make a big difference in the end. I would learn some French and grow my network of course, but besides that isn't work experience more important that having an MBA or not when considered for a VC/PE job?

Honestly I'm not sure. that industry is not doing all the well right now with the economy, and if you were to go into it right now, even with an MBA, you wouldn't do as well as you are doing at the moment.

The quite-literally-million-dollar-question is, where will the industry be when you get your degree? That, I cannot answer.