Career Shifts At Yale Boost MBA Pay

THE NUMBER ONE INDUSTRY CHOICE? CONSULTING FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW

Consulting again was the number one industry choice of Yale MBAs, drawing 29.3% of last year’s class, up from 26.0% a year earlier and significantly more than the 22.0% who went into consulting in 2013 when finance was the first choice at SOM. For the Class of 2015, finance was second, taking 24.5% of graduating MBAS. Investment banking claimed 11.6% of last year’s class, down from 14.1% in 2014, while investment management jobs were accepted by 4.9% of the MBAs, up from 2.6% in 2014. Private equity and venture capital positions fell to just 2.2% last year, down from 3.1% a year earlier, while graduates entering diversified financial services represented 5.8% of the class, roughly the same as 2014 (see table below).

The tech industry was up again after a drop in 2014. Yale reported that 14.2% of last year’s class were hired by tech firms, up from 10.4%, but below the 16.8% peak achieved in 2013. MBAs taking jobs within the energy sector fell to 3.1%, from 6.3% a year earlier, while those accepting jobs at consumer packaged goods companies and retailers also declined to 8.0% of the class, down from 9.4%. Healthcare landed 4.9% of last year’s grads, up from 3.6%, while media and entertainment attracted 3.6% of the class, down from 4.7%. Manufacturing also made something of a rebound with 4.0% taking jobs in manufacturing, up from just 1.6% in 2014.

An increasing number of Yale MBAs are also starting their companies right out of school. Yale said that 15 members of the Class of 2015 did their own startups, up from 14 a year earlier and just 10 in 2013.

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