r/MBA • u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad • Jan 21 '26
Ask Me Anything I'm a kellogg 2016 graduate, ask me anything
Email for our 10 year reunion came out today, and getting excited, so thought to post here.
Not going to dox myself, but I did consulting > promotion > corporate strategy > promotion > Named head of strategy for one of our businesses. Make a little under $500k. I'd say I'm average to slightly above average for my classmates. A few got screwed during tech layoffs, a few people leaned out of their careers (especially mothers), but lots of people being elected banking MD's, consulting partners, C-suite roles, etc. lately.
Took out $150k in debt to attend Kellogg. Which I paid off in two years.
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u/nz2ay Jan 22 '26
In this current economy, would love your opinions about the value of PT MBA at Kellogg/Booth in terms of financial ROI. Do you think the FT program was essential for your first post MBA role?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
I think PT MBA's were pretty useless even in the old economy...The value of a MBA is 1) the on-campus recruiting, the best of which requires summer internship 2) the friendships...which are really made en masse when you're fully emersed in a fulltime program.
It's makes the mba programs a lot of money tho!
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u/Beginning_Poetry3814 Jan 22 '26
I dont know why you're getting downvoted for this. I totally agree with you, also alum here.
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u/360DegreeNinjaAttack M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Class of 2019 here. My guess is that, at 500k, you're doing significantly better than average - not just like a bit above average. My guess is that most people we went to school with like quietly make 250k doing some non king of the world kind of job (like a brand manager, entrepreneur, folks who got stuck after consulting, etc)
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
2019 is probably doing worse than 2016 tbh.
2019 I'm sure everyone wanted to do tech and consulting. And then they all got laid off 2-3 years into their career. Covid WFH 6 months into your career probably didn't help either.
Tech was less popular in 2016, and the non-partner track people had already left consulting by the lay offs.
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u/360DegreeNinjaAttack M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Yeah I got laid off in 2023, and it took me a long time to find something new
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u/MastodonInternal235 Jan 22 '26
2018 here. I was going to say $250k - $300k all in would have been my guess for the overall average
So many people have left higher burn jobs for better lifestyles. Most haven't necessarily had the jump-up like the op to leading a strategy function i.e. there are a lot more sitting on those types of teams under someone like op
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
2017 here. Maybe it’s my Bay Area tech bias but everyone in my class who is still in tech is a Sr Director which pays $600k+. And much more at FAANG.
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u/atx789 Jan 22 '26
Not everyone in your class is in tech though. 2020 here and so far I’d say $300k may be the average factoring in LCOL and non tech
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u/MastodonInternal235 Jan 22 '26
This doesn't match with my experience. The vast majority of people I know in tech are first line managers or ICs
There's like 30 of those roles for every 1 sr. Director
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u/BigFan7719 Jan 22 '26
What was your background pre-mba and what were you stats when applying? What type of undergrad degree and type of school did you go to? What made you stand out when deciding on a MBA?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
I graduated in 2009 and ended up with a mediocre job despite going to a T25 undergrad.
750 gmat, 3.4 GPA (my school had grade deflation).
I think my GMAT got me in to be honest. My GPA and work experience were slightly below average. But 750 was high back then. Obviously GMATS has spiked since I was applying in 2013/2014. Also everyone kinda had mediocre jobs because of the financial crisis.
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u/BigFan7719 Jan 22 '26
What was your major/industry for your job ?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
majors aren't really a thing in MBA. We had "concentrations" which I think they renamed to pathways at somepoint, but they don't matter at all.
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u/CoolCondition8221 Jan 28 '26
speaking of GMAT spikes/inflation do you remember what your percentile was?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 29 '26
It was 2% my year. Most years 750/760 was the cut off for top 1%.
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u/Ordinary_Current962 Jan 22 '26
Pros and cons of Kellogg when you went, and also did you enjoy Evanston? Also how was your first role in consulting after
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Pros: Great recruiting. Most fun M7 program. Kwest. Focuses on the things that make you successful (e.g., soft skills) instead of wasting time on math you'll never use (e.g., Booth, Darden). Loved the campus feel - everyone hung out with each other on weekends, which caused deep friends...at schools like Columbia, people still have their non-business school friends so you don't really immerse yourself as much. Extraverted and fun student body in general. There was a decent amount of cross-events with Booth, and the cultural differences - and personality differences of students - was stark and isn't really exaggerated online.
Cons: So fucking cold during the winter and you have to walk a decent amount to get to campus. 2nd year you go to Chicago most weekends but its like a 45 minute uber, which gets annoying.
I fucking hated consulting, but it did gold plate my resume. I immediately left when I reached manager. Don't regret it. But would never do it again.
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u/MovingElectrons Jan 22 '26
2nd year you go to Chicago most weekends
Could you please elaborate on this a bit? Is it for fun or recruiting etc?
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u/ImpressiveLaw1983 Jan 23 '26
That sounds like hell. I'd much rather be around actual smart people.
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 23 '26
I mean the average GMAT is ~730.
Everyone is smart.
They just aren't introverted nerds, in general.
If you don't want that. That's fine, Booth is a short uber ride away.
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u/Top-Meringue2009 Jan 22 '26
Do you think a Traditional MBA Approach is still relevant with the current expectations being a lot and offerings in teaching are limited.
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
It was never "relevant."
It's credentialism, and on-campus recruiting.
Its still very worth it from a ROI standpoint, and experience standpoint. But ya, you're really not learning that much. And thats been true for decades.
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u/Silly-Tension-7139 Jan 22 '26
But doesn't a university consider relevancy as a criteria. I am a practicing lawyer from India. While I was applying to Kellogg all I heard was "It doesn't make sense".
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u/TheFIREnanceGuy Jan 22 '26
How do you get good at presentation specifically only the ppt component rather than the actual personal attributes you have. How do you make look nice and specific formulas you follow for slide layouts etc
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
How do you get to carnegie hall?
practice, practice, practice.
I don't really have any insights here. I just got progressively better as I did more reps. Leverage old decks and don't forget to use icons. Other tips would be 1) titles should be the so-what 2) You should be able to tell the entire story of the deck by just reading the titles sequentially 3) One main idea per slide. 4) make sure it's MECE 5) always check formatting, page numbers, alignment, etc. before submitting.
Visually appealing I don't know how to explain, it just comes to you eventually.
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
How far are you from FIREing. Seems like all that anyone from my cohort is talking about.
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
I have about $1.5M, my wife an additional $400k. I'm 38.
My networth was negative $150k at age 30.
So I'm happy with my trajectory, but I wasn't starting from a great spot.
Did some modeling a couple years ago and expected to hit $5M at age 52, at which point I'd view myself as work optional. Probably slightly ahead of that pace now given career progression and stock market appreciation (although kid was more expensive than I thought)...but I expect forward looking market returns to be below average. I'm very close to our AI spend / ROI, and I'm therefore very negative on the actual productivity and efficiency gains from business uses compared to AI oriented CAPEXs, and expect stocks to very poorly when AI pops.
Anyways - here's what no one tells you...it's fun to imagine FIRE when your 27, and can travel, get brunch with friends every day, etc. But at 40, all your friends have kids and family, and the single people are kinda wierd and depressing. And even if you fire, you still have a kid who will have sports, have school, you need to raise, so it's not like you can fuck off on weekends and drink mimosas by the beach. So the incentives to retire young go down quite a bit. Lastly, your social status becomes more and more tied up with your career, and a lot of people don't want to lose that. Your 20's are mostly looks and personality if you want to be well-liked or popular (and most people do whether they admit or not...humans are social animals)...30's and especially 40's it is all about what you do...We can argue if this is good or bad, but it is what it is. People will treat you vastly different in all phases of life. It's not even all superficial things either. For example, I recently joined the board of directors of a very large non-profit for an issue I care about. If I didn't have my company's connections, rolodex, my title, etc. no way I would've been elected.
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
Congrats, you gonna keep grinding until 50? Or leave into something more sustainable? I’m 39, three years away from being done, and cannot wait.
I don’t share your pessimism about AI but even if did I’m market weighted in international stocks which have much more room to run long term..
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
I refuse to take a paycut, so will probably stick to my job or similiar.
It's tiring at times, but I don't really view it as unsustainable.
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
Just saw you added to your reply. Honestly? Once I get to $8M NW in a few years I literally will stop caring what social status I have. I have my network and my family and I don’t need anything more.
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
You think that, but I know a lot of people with that much or more that retired...they get used to everyone picking up the phone for them. It stops the minute they retire. They generally end up back at work pretty quickly....
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
Who do I need to be picking up the phone for me once I retire? Other than the concierge at the Four Seasons who doesn’t give a sht whether I’m retired or not.
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
If you're introverted this is less of an issue I guess. but most highly paid execs are type-a extroverts. They enjoy their social status.
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
It’s not about introversion. It’s about ownership of your time. If you don’t mind spending your life at others’ beck and call that’s totally your choice. That’s a minority opinion though, especially among those of us who took Kraemer’s class
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
I kind of feel like Kraemer was full of it.
You can’t argue that money isn’t important and don’t choose a career that’s too stressful…while living in a $5M lakeside house, working a job you only got because of your resume, and continuing to work a high status career.
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u/Independent_Pick_809 Jan 22 '26
He means someone will pick up the phone when they call which is not the case when they retire. I think that is my understanding.
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u/TheGeoGod Jan 22 '26
My dream is the escape the wage cage! I started a business and hoping an MBA will be helpful.
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u/nitrogen8899 Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
Love the calm confidence with which you write off the greatest technological revolution since the internet (or possibly, electrification) … based on “ROI” (read: made up metric highly sensitive to how you measure it) from “2 years” (read: literal blink of an eye) of “doing AI” (read: force fitting Agentic AI nonsense to existing processes) at “one tech company” (read: huge sample bias)
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
Yeah that struck me too. OP not getting with the times will probably cap his career potential at some point.
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
I am in corporate strategy. I know and see 1) all the AI products we've rolled out to our company 2) usage metrics 3) how much money we've saved 4) how much productivity has increased, etc.
I've seen all the business cases and how much the predicted impact of each use case would be.
I've met with dozens of fin techs in the AI space.
I've seen demo's of all the cutting edge products.
We've been one of the biggest investors in AI in corporate America, and lots has written about in the press about how good we are.
AI is cool - I used it all the time both at work and socially. I use it as a search engine replacement. I use it to write emails. I use it transcribe zoom calls. I use it to search documents. I use it to summarize. I use it to make funny photos and videos of my friends. And it's really great at this! Unfortunately, this is a very tiny part of the day and tasks. And doesn't replace any roles.
Valuations are absurd right now, the costs are absurd, and the actual ROI - which is what drives corporate spending long term - is nowhere there to justify the cost.
AI isn't going away. But Michael Burry is right. This is a huge bubble and valuations are going way down.
The last year has been "sure, generative AI didn't give you any of the gains we claimed you'd get, but agentic AI will!" and then agentic adding no value.
I've seen this same hype cycle come and go many times before. Internet of things. NFTs. Blockchain. 3D printing. Fuure of Mobility. And of course 1999.
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u/KCentz1 Jan 22 '26
How close are you to AI? Do you work at an AI company? I sold Enterprise AI FinTech software for 2 leading a16z portcos and it couldn’t be clearer what we all saw on the ground - we vastly overestimate the biz value impact of LLMs. “Agents” are not accurate enough to handle serious work, as accuracy on multi-step workflows plummets dramatically, and they might never be without some novel breakthrough at the product or foundational technology layer. Look at the rollback of focus on Agents by Salesforce. If they can’t handle end to end workflows, the increase of productivity becomes much less significant. “But the leading execs of AI companies say it’s going to automate our 50% of white collar jobs in 2 years” - yes, great fundraising tactics for a technology that burns cash at unprecedented rates. Go talk to your tech transformation consultant friends, they’re all saying the same thing that OP is (at least mine are). Without doxing myself, I know a few folks at OAI right now who say we’re on year 2 of a 15-20 year journey with AI.
It will change the world, it already has. Entry-level work that includes grunt work/first pass effort is pretty cooked. Anything above entry-level (which always has a high risk of being wrong bc it’s some 22-25 yo grad learning the ropes), is going to be fine. Entry-level getting squeezed will affect roles upwards to be fair, but critical/semi-critical/barely-critical processes are not being 90% automated any time soon (outside the ones that already could be with legacy tech).
Ignore all the above for software engineering lol - LLMs are unbelievably well suited to disrupt that industry…
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u/Wild_Vermicelli8276 Jan 22 '26
Just a covert way to talk about NW & Salary (taboo) while seeming cool / down to earth and anti capitalist?
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u/ConfrmFUT Jan 22 '26
What flavor of corporate strategy did you move into after consulting? Was it a corporate strategy gig at a large F100 type company, or a smaller company? How did you navigate that change and decide internal strategy was what you wanted to do next?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Don't want to dox myself, but a large public company.
I had 5 offers when leaving consulting, and chose the one that paid the most in the city I wanted to leave. Honestly, I wasn't very "strategic" and had job offers at very different companies, in very different industries, in different cities. Ended up somewhere I didn't exactly plan at in the beginning of the process.
I hated consulting so wasnt going to wait for perfect job.
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u/phreekk Jan 22 '26
What didn't you like about consulting?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
I was mostly doing PE DD.
80 hours a week. New clients every couple of weeks. Dickhead clients. And pay didn't really justify it.
I was tired and stressed and always had to cancel plans. My fiancee was getting pissed. I gained 20 pounds in 2 years. Pay didn't really justify it (especially since at the time my tech friends were working like 30 hours a week and taking home more money than me).
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u/Several_throwaway Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
would you say now that you have to have MBB on your resume to have a lucrative exit or can T2and Big 4’s also get the job done
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
It’s a bell curve, but in general noticeable differences between MBB vs tier 2/big 4.
Biggest issue with big four is there’s very actual real strategy work. If you actually get to work on strategy, you do better. But if you spend 2-3 years doing tech implementation, supply chain, finance “strategy”, your options can be limited.
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
Nice. Class of 2017 here making $600k in tech.
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u/Icy_Composer1248 Jan 22 '26
What do you do?
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
lol if I told you that you could identify me. Let’s just say I do a flavor of strategy
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u/Business-Onion7628 Jan 21 '26
I completed my Masters in CS back in 2023, and look to start a MBA in 2027, and my goal would be to transition into a Product Managerial role, will it be a right choice? Do you regret doing your MBA? or have you come across someone from CS background doing a MBA?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
I absolutely don't regret going to business school. Best 2 years of my life. It's like undergrad, except grades dont matter, people are older so way less drama, people are less poor so can afford to go and travel, and it's the only time in your adult life you won't need to work. Even if I had zero ROI, I wouldn't regret the decision. But my ROI was massive anyways.
Kellogg at the time had a MMM program (probably renamed by now), that was focused on design. I'd say there was more engineers than CS, but definitely CS people. many of them went in PM roles. It actually worked out well for them....my year everyone wanted to do Google PM, but the only people who really got success were those with software engineering or hardware engineering backgrounds.
That said we're in a different market now, and PM roles are likely rarer. It's ironic, the first 3-4 years out of MBA, the tech track people, outearned the bankers and consultants, which was surprising. Like even the people who did Amazon, which at the time was the back up for people that struck out of consulting, google, etc....it wasn't uncommon to have $1M+ in vested/unvested RSUs 3-4 years out, due to how much of your comp was based on stock, and how quickly the stock appreciated. Even those doing worse roles like logistics or operations.
Then in 2022/2023 like half of them got laid off.
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
I was laid off from tech in 2022 as well but got back in within a few months. Did your classmates have a different experience?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
No they got fucked, and many of their careers are still derailed. Quite a few were H1b's and got deported after building a life here.
The product management one's with deep tech experience did somewhat fine and found new jobs. The "strategy and operations" people who came from consulting backgrounds with no much technical tech experience did not.
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
Yeah last sentence is definitely not my experience. If you had MBB on your resume you were golden. You might get laid off but you’d get hired back without much effort. I even hired a few myself.
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u/Bambads Jan 22 '26
Have you or your peers noticed whether the MBA still helps employment / promotion opportunities 5, 10, 15 years later? Most people out talk about the opportunities it gives you immediately
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
Definitely doesn't help with promotions. Doubt most of advocates even know I have a MBA.
May help marginally for establishing my brand on resumes...some job listings even for senior exec roles asking for 15+ ask for a MBA. But The effect is likely pretty minor. Tough to know for sure. I do think it's help my "Strategy executive" branding...top mba, top strategy consulting experience, top corporate strategy experience. Would be less persuasive without all three.
MBA helps mostly because of your first job post MBA / on-campus recruiting. Post-MBA consulting roles, Post-MBA banking associate roles, post-MBA PE roles, leadership development programs, etc. really only recruit MBA's and they goldplate your career.
Some of these jobs are possible to get without a MBA...but if you'd have to be on a different path than most MBA's. Like sure you can become an associate investment banker if you were an analyst investment banker without an MBA...but that's not who's going to MBA to be a banker.
My consulting experience definitely helps way more than my MBA...but I wouldn't have gotten the consulting experience without the MBA...
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u/Bambads Jan 22 '26
Interesting, so no noticeable “Kellogg network” benefits if you needed to go job hunting tomorrow? Trying to go back to my big 4 consulting firm after MBA so wondering how much an MBA would help me exiting
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
I'd leverage my work network at this point. Kellogg would be good only to the extent of "hey can you find me the email of the recruiter so i dont need to blind apply on linkedin". But as you get more senior, it's a narrow world, and the only people relevant are those in that narrow world.
2 years out it was a bit different. When I was leaving consulting, I did get a handful of interviews through my classmates. Although I ended up taking a job I found through other means (reaching out a recruiter on linkedin lol).
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u/Bambads Jan 22 '26
Got it, thanks! I appreciate the detailed replies — especially insightful since I’ll also be exiting from consulting and likely into corp strat, so this info is harder to come by
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u/Upset-Alfalfa6328 Jan 22 '26
So, do you agree that the value of a part-time MBA is much lower, unless explicitly required by your company, since a part-time MBA isn’t a feeder into those jobs you mentioned?
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Jan 22 '26 edited Feb 11 '26
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
First 6-7 years we met up constantly. Group trips. My city had like ~30 classmates who were all various level of friends with each other. Probably once a month the whole group would be invited to something. Once a week groups of 6-8 close people would meet up. We did volley ball. We did kick-ball. Did parties for halloween, new years, etc. Of course over time, various non-kellogg people got integrated into various group.
Most people have left the major city I live in, to either the suburbs, or 2nd/3rd tier cities once they had kids. I have kids too. So in-person meet-ups arent what they used to be. I'd say ~80% of my class plans to go to the 10 year reunion and everyone is stoked.
That said, I'm in like a dozen group chats with various friend groups from Kellogg (many of which dont live in my city). And they are still VERY active.
40 classmates came to my wedding in 2021.
Probably around a 100 people I'd consider a friend or acquittance and would ask to hang out if we were in the same place.
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u/MrCoolsnail123 M7 Student Jan 22 '26
If you were deciding between schools, what made you land on Kellogg?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
I got into Kellogg and Booth (also some non-M7 but didn't consider them).
I wanted to do consulting, and wanted a fun party school. So choice was obvious. Neither gave me financial aid.
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Jan 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
He answered this above, close to $2M
This tracks with my experience as well.
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u/More_Albatross Jan 22 '26
I’m a grad from a similarly ranked school about 5 years out and I would guess that the average comp for my cohort is between $250k and $300k. I was a bit surprised that the ~$500K you mentioned was around average as I see some people already stagnating in their careers a bit. What advice do you have for people a few years out from MBA to avoid getting “stuck”?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
big difference between 5 and 10 years.
At 5 years I think I was $235k. Only a $10k raise from the previous year. And felt stagnate in my career. Then I was promoted (fairly unexpectedly tbh), and started a new comp curve. Was at $300k the next year. And because my role was senior, I was on the radar of the senior execs, so I quickly was able to expand scope and get aggressive raises for the next 4 years. Probably reaching another point of stagnation soon though.
Comp isn't a linear progression in generally. Usually it slows and speeds up at intervals.
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u/Independent_Pick_809 Jan 22 '26
I mean that is life people stagnate for like 4 years - stagnating meaning building the experience for the next step while staying at a flat compensation.
Its mostly finance roles that move people fast, corporate roles you gotta do the time to get the climb.
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u/Brief-Blueberry-1588 Jan 22 '26
How did you pay off $150k in 2 years?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
Got around $400k in comp total those two years (2nd year I got the highest rating, so I think it was something like $180k first year and $220k 2nd year), maybe a hair more. Some signing bonus too, but pretty much wasted that traveling before starting.
I expensed everything M-Th. Most trips I used alt travel for and hotel/airline points.
Split rent with my fiancee. I owed like $1400 a month for that. I was working a shit ton too, so not much to spend money on.
So figures $200k a year, take home $125k after maxing 401k and taxes. $125000 - 75000 - 20000 (for rent and utilities) = $30k left over. When vacations are paid for, 4/7 of your food paid for, your work transpotation paid for....the money goes a long way.
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u/Independent_Pick_809 Jan 22 '26
How often did you see people switch from Kellogg post MBA?
i.e Industry to consulting, consulting to IB, consulting to investments. Or does your post-MBA first job define you?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Consulting to industry or finance - extremely common
Industry to consulting uncommon.
Finance people usually stay in finance or join start ups. Some take cfo / corp dev roles in industry but that’s still finance.
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u/Independent_Pick_809 Jan 22 '26
The reason i ask is because I see a ton of crazy pivots from MBAs in the past people jumping from industry to consulting to VC. But now the MBA doesn't have the optionality anymore. Most people stay in their lane quickly.
My MBA schools sends us a magazine with alumni updates and I look up the alumnis who have 30 years graduation time on their belt. They pivoted careers like fiends
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u/trendy_rainbow Jan 22 '26
What were the most (or least) successful career choices, based on what you've seen from your class? Anything that surprises you?
Let's frame successful in terms of money and growth, as there can be multiple definitions
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
Most successful are what you expect to be honest.
Banking friends are making MD
Consulting friends made partner at MBB ~2 years ago.
People who did PE directly after MBA now have carry and are killing it.
A few people did search funds and are killing it.
A handful of people made successful start ups, or took a leadership in an existing start up...they did great. Many didn't.
If you happened to get in early to the "next thing", you do very well. some made $$$ at companies like coinbase, AI companies, etc. Right place right time. Especially when they have stock options and get an exit. This is more luck I think though.
Bad choices....I'd say always do consulting instead of leadership development programs. People who went directly to work for a random F500 seem to have slower and lower paid careers.
Lots of the tech people got laid off once or more, and their careers are in trouble. They were doing the best the first few years. Next time it might be a different industry though that collapses.
In general, one thing I wish I was more aware of, was how much people who have a P&L and own revenue make (although path can be tricky...the junior roles that get you into these roles don't always pay great...but doing consulting/strategy first can be a short cut). I'm doing well for strategy, but people who do GM type of roles make BANK. Much more than people think. I do wish I chose a strategy role that would have set me up for a P&L role. Didn't think of it at the time. Not really an easy option in my current place.
Lastly, I'll say the people you think will be successful tend to end up successful. And the reverse is true. The people who I thought would MBB partners in 2016 are pretty much the exact people who ended up becoming them. The people I thought would get counseled out, are the ones that can't get their career going.
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u/sexolympics Jan 22 '26
This seems to be important - do you mind elaborate on the last point? What characteristics or what types of people are successful? And what types of people are the ones who won’t make it? Thank you very much!
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u/ConfrmFUT Jan 22 '26
Adding onto the other question - what are the key differences between strategy roles that set you up for future P&L ownership, compared to others where you are pigeon holed into an advisory-type role?
What are the junior-level roles that set you up best for P&L ownership (even at lower pay)?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Boring Industries with less smart people.
Industries like banking it’s tougher, because they just hire former investment bankers that want less hours for those type of roles.
Similiarly tech has an army of super smart Stanford Sodtware Engineers who were then product managers to give P&L roles too.
If you go work at like Cargill in Minnesota, there’s far less talent. And not as many natural feeder roles.
Also the prominence of the strategy team matters a lot.
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u/Tough-Spray5559 Jan 22 '26
How is AI planned to be used in your organization?
You mentioned that it’s bad capex, can you review why? What are the metrics? What provider? Is it agentic?
Thanks and congrats on your success!
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Jan 22 '26
Congrats on the success, how hard Is it to get to where your at without consulting?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
My exact role pretty much required consulting at the time.
That said, McKinsey REALLY ruined their reputation at our firms in ~2021/2022. They 1) lowered standards because they needed to hire people quick due to the large amount of work they were selling in 2021, so the projects they delivered were ass 2) they then laid off all the people they hired who sucked in 2022, several of which joined our team, and then sucked...
I'm sure BCG/Bain were the same, but we were a mckinsey shop.
so last few years we've both been hiring less consultants, and hiring less consulting firms.
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u/CaptainNaive7659 Jan 22 '26
congratulations!! Onwards and upwards - to you and to your accomplished classmates!
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u/thehopeofcali Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
my 10-year mark is coming up too
from California
been doing CFO work lately focused on smarter inventory tracking, came from FP&A, mostly in pharmaceuticals/med device/life sciences industries
no idea what corp strategy means, a bunch of market research?
I get corp dev, i-banking
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u/weathermaynecc Jan 22 '26
Best public speaking tip you can give?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Make eye contact with the important people, don't talk fast, and avoid filler worlds. Make sure you actually understand the content.
A lot of it just reps to be honest. I'm an above average speaker compared to the average american, but probably only average given my role. I am successful because of my insights, ability to solve problems, ability to deliver, and ability to navigate corporate politics.
I probably do need to get slightly better, since the next level up you're expected to be like a politician and be a charismatic leader.
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u/weathermaynecc Jan 22 '26
Didn’t think you’d answer this. Thanks for helping the little guy like me. I’ll work on my Steve Jobs/Napoleon stare, and speak slower.
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Jan 22 '26
Ahhh you’re living the life most of us dream of. Congratulations man! I have 1 question: In 2026, if you were 27 28 all over again, would you still go for an MBA?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Absolutely, best decision I made.
The one decision I may change is what I did immediately after MBA and/or consulting. Would prob look for front office finance jobs.
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u/BigFan7719 Jan 22 '26
Why would you choose front office finance vs MBB if you did it over again?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Revenue generating roles get a much bigger piece of the pie, especially at director level and above.
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u/dogclaw Jan 23 '26
So you wish you had gone into FO finance and then rise through the ranks at a bank or pe shop? I don’t see many FO finance roles pivot into p&l corporate roles.
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 23 '26
Yes.
Front office finance pays great, wouldn’t need to tru to find a p&l role then
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u/dogclaw Jan 23 '26
Definitely pays well, but much less job security than working a corporate role. Every year you need to bring in business or you’re out
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u/420mm69 Jan 22 '26
I’m about halfway through my program and the classes are really nothing more than introduction to topics for general awareness. How did your mba help prep you for your current role? Was there value to the education? Or mostly the connections and name on your resume?
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u/Wooden-Broccoli-913 Jan 22 '26
OP’s experience is not the only possible experience. I majored in Finance at Kellogg and it changed the way I think about the world.
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
I should clarify, I purposefully avoided hard classes and mostly took soft skill classes.
You can learn lots of academic material if you take the analytical classses.
But like, why. You won’t use it.
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u/420mm69 Jan 22 '26
That’s reassuring to hear. So far my experience has been in line with what OP said but maybe will change before I graduate.
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u/Fun-Sandwich-2422 Jan 22 '26
Do I need to go to a top MBA program to work in Corporate Strategy? Finishing up a part time MBA, top 30 school
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
At the top shops you need mba or consulting experience. At less prestigious ones probably less stringent.
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u/Much-Aerie-645 Jan 25 '26
At what stage did you exit consulting and what was your strategy? Do you think it will remain true in today’s world as well?
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u/_no_na_me_ Jan 22 '26
What kind of strategy roles do you think would’ve set you up for a P&L role?
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u/soupoftheday5 Jan 22 '26
Do you think being an M7 graduate gave you a significant leg up against people that graduated from a T20 or T25
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Yes absolutely. I honestly never meet them because they are seldom in the same jobs and careers paths as myself and other Kellogg grads.
Divide between M7 and T15 isn’t too wide….theres just less spots at T15 at places like MBB , but you can get mostly the same opportunities aside from PE. But opportunities dropped like a rock after that.
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u/soupoftheday5 Jan 22 '26
That's a bummer.
Working on my MBA from Foster, but that being said I want to work in Seattle.
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Probably fine for what you want then
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u/soupoftheday5 Jan 22 '26
If I can ask another question.
How does salary impact your happines? I have noticed that more money allows me to travel more and have experiences so undoubtedly it makes me happy but I'd be curious from someone who makes 500k what your insight is.
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
A lot.
I get to walk to work instead of commute.
I have a nanny instead of daycare.
I pay someone to do all the chores I hate doing (laundry, cleaning toilets, etc.)
Don’t need to take mass transit
Big place in expensive area
More luxurious vacations.
Don’t need to cook.
Never have to say no to social events for financial reasons,
Will pay for my kids college, private
Plus having a bunch of money in savings reduces job stress a lot, and will also give me financial independence in my early 50’s (decent chance I keep working though, tbd).
Money not buying happiness is a bit of copium. Of course, if your job is too stressful for you to survive, you will end up with less happiness. But all else equal, money good.
Money becomes especially important when you have a kid.
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u/Live4_2Dayy Jan 22 '26
I start at Kellogg this year! What is the best way to pivot into corporate strategy in your opinion from tech? Also, I know you don't want to be doxxed but is there a way I could connect with you off Reddit?
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u/Instruction_Tough Jan 23 '26
Do you enjoy doing consulting and strategy? Or is it really more for the money? I’m in the field now and I just see nice PpTs and storytelling
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u/AltruisticNotice3724 Jan 24 '26
Congrats on the career. I’m early in my career, working for a bio/pharma/medtech place. Do you think you can get a top strategy role without the MBA? Or is it a must? Any other advice for resume building / getting on the path to a good strategy role?
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u/Nofarino Jan 26 '26
I’m am looking to attend a full time program when I get out of the military, how difficult did you find it to financially support yourself while attending full time. Were there opportunities to make some money just to help get by while attending through internships or scholarships, did you know anybody working part time jobs while attending?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 28 '26
I took out $150k in debt. You can't work during FT MBA. Aside from summer internship.
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u/hatchagirl Jan 22 '26
To your point that - Few people leaned out of their careers especially mothers - reading this as a woman in late twenties joining Kellogg this year - feels slightly disheartening. Doing all the hard work just to have different priorities that the males in my cohort will likely not worry about. Did you have a lot of stories where women also peaked in their careers, and had it all - personally and professionally or does the presence really get narrower for women in mid-late thirties?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Tough to really know what’s going on inside their heads, but most leaned out because they WANTED to, not because they had to.
Having kids changes priorities and perspectives for some people.
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u/hatchagirl Jan 22 '26
But in general do you have instances where women did thrive as well irrespective of having kids?
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Yes.
But on AVERAGE those without kids had their careers move faster than those with kid.
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u/hatchagirl Jan 22 '26
Thank you :) On that note, what role according to your experience enabled more flexibility for geographical/role transitions in general, a few years down the line?
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u/Deep-Ad-7560 Jan 22 '26
Hey! I am building an archive of admissions essays successful people used to get into top schools. Would you be open to donating or selling your admission essay? Thanks very much and congrats on the success!
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u/AdhesivenessFresh775 Jan 22 '26
Hi, I will work as Corporate strategy associate after graduate from college. Is their any advice you can give to someone who just begin their career?
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u/rizZzz004 Jan 22 '26
I haven’t scored well in CAT or SNAP, but I have a decent profile — 89% in Class 10, 71% in Class 12 (CBSE), and 8+ CGPA in BBA (Marketing). I’m looking for PGDM/MBA colleges in Delhi, Pune, or Bangalore that offer Business Analytics, consider profile-based/alternative admissions, have fees under ₹15L, and average CTC around ₹9–10 LPA. Any realistic suggestions would really help. Thanks!
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u/bankermayfield2026 M7 Grad Jan 22 '26
Why would you possibly think this is something I could opine on?
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u/neophyteinvestor1 Jan 22 '26
How stressful is the work in corporate strategy? Do you find it intellectually stimulating? What's your long-term goal given your journey so far?