This week, I'm going to be on a panel for an event at the USC Business School. And, I'm sure the big question will be: what's the job outlook for venture capital and private equity?
Unfortunately, my response won't be too optimistic. M&A is soft and the IPO market is soft. Moreover, if things continue, it's a good bet we'll see fewer venture capital deals.
All in all, it means fewer job opportunities for MBAs.
In fact, with the meltdown of Bears Stearns Cos. (NYSE: BSC), the firm is actually nixing some job offers for MBAs (which is a pretty rare thing). Although, they will still get their signing bonuses and relocation fees.
Interestingly enough, according to a recent piece in BusinessWeek, it looks like that MBAs that enter the workforce during tough times wind up having diminished compensation over their careers. In fact, it could mean millions of dollars.
The solution? Funny enough, it may mean staying in school until good times return.
Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-07-2008 @ 3:43PM
beanspants said...
it looks like that MBAs that enter the workforce during tough times wind up having diminished compensation over their careers.
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this is an odd insite, and exploring it seems more interesting than the article itself. is it that MBAs who take jobs in downturns are less likely to job hop (where job hopping tends to lead to higher income) or are they less capable (ie buying high and selling low) than MBAs with better job market timing?
or something else? does one or two down years really make that much difference?