thanks... but i will not underestimate the influence of luck in the whole equation..

if you are thinking of changing career via the MBA route, the absolute key is to secure an internship in the industry of choice... and this you do by begging, grovelling, cold calling and just about every non glamourous route you can think of, and doing so persistently. i got lucky in this - after i did all of that nonsense, i managed to secure one via a contact of mine who knew of an opening [and via further begging and grovelling, albeit of a more targeted kind]...

once you secure that all important internship, half the battle is won... at least you get invited for interviews [without excessive begging and grovelling]...

then the other rule of thumb is that - you either change country or you change industry - you cannot do both... so if you study in UK or US, and you want to change into the finance industry, you best bet is to apply for finance jobs in Singapore... if you want to work in UK or US (as the case may be) then you need to pick a job in the same industry as your pre-MBA days...

so at the end of the day, it comes down to basically luck and preserverence... i.e. you preservere long enough (or in other words, beg and grovel long enough) and broadcast your intentions widely enough to relatives/friends/acquintances, you eventually get lucky...

now, is a role in finance worth all that pain? that's a whole other question altogether...

oh ya, one other thing, remember that it is much easier to move from a non-glamourous company to a glamourous company in the same industry than it is to change industries... so even if you get an offer from a never-before-heard-of bank in the industry of your choice, you should give it serious consideration, because once people in the industry know you, you can move between banks in the same role without an extraordinary amount of effort...

gd luck