Graduate Dilemma
 

Hi Guys,

I have a dilemma with regards to what offer I should select. Before I list out my offers, I would like to preface it by saying that I do ultimately see myself coming back to Singapore to work, so doing something that has commercial value in Singapore is important to me.

My background: Economics graduate of top 20 US university (soon to be)

Current offers: Local bank MA (Have not receive contract yet, not sure how much they are playing)

US offers: both are for management consulting

Deloitte Strategy & operations New York Office: 75kUSD base + 10kusd Sign on, not sure about the bonus

EY performance improvement New York office (did a summer internshp here, really like the culture): 72kUSD base + 5k usd sign on, not sure about bonus

I'm not sure how transferable MC skills are to sg, seems like the big 4 don't do pure MC work in SG, besides I'm not really keen on exiting back to enter the big 4 in sg. This is mainly due to prestige and exits, as consulting in big 4 is very selective in the US (base pay is almost the same as IB), and would position me quite well if I decide to go to industry. Would really like some advice.

You do know that MC and local bank MA are two totally different fields, right?

There's also a significant gulf in prestige. Why not try for MBB locally if you are into consulting? It's a highly versatile field so you can enter any other industry you might be interested a couple of years down the road.

Don't be stupid. If he alr got offers in us, why would he wan to try Mbb locally? The oversea exposure would be so much more valuable. And the Asia growth story is over, all the money are flowing back to the west. The prospect is so much brighter at the other side.

My advice: stay in the US and be a MC.

I only see downsides for you to return and little upsides, unless you have specific reasons like family commitments.

Having worked in NYC before, I would recommend you stay on and go with either of the consulting offers. The experience there will do you a lot of good when you are ready to come back in the future.

Yeah. You'll have many more options open to you if you choose MC in US.

my advice: keep the 10kusd, you will need it.

I did most of my MC recruiting in the US. TBH in the US now, the gulf between some of the big 4 firms and MBB have been narrowing for years. There is no difference in compensation (in fact, I think Deloitte is higher) and the exits are equally strong (barring PE/HF, an MBB prestige would be useful).

Unfortunately, I did not do any MC recruiting in sg. I highly doubt I would enter any of the MBB in singapore anyway as I heard that each MBB takes in less than 5. Those that do make it, their CVs are bloody insane.

For me the real fear is how do I transition and sell myself to Singapore recruiters in the future (would I have to take a massive paycut, since in 2-3 years time, I will probably make 3-4 times what a local big 4 MC candidate is getting paid)? Alternatively, I was thinking of exiting into industry before moving back to back to Singapore. Depending on what sector I do get rotated into, I could exit into a fortune 500 and then move back to Singapore at middle management level. What do you guys think, am I looking to far into the future?? I'm driving myself insane atm.

Don't be a f_ucking moron.

What makes you think that the Asia growth story is over? The bulk of consumer good sales are in Asia. There is a lot of potential in the region, plus he seems keen to come back home. Do you think it's so easy to marry a white hot blonde babe, settle well in Manhattan and be a baller? More likely reach a bamboo ceiling in 3-4 years, ESP in MC!

F_ucking Dream on lah, loser. Talk as though you have lived or worked in the US before.

If you're good, you should be able to get decent offers back in Singapore at MNCs. The problem with MC is that it is often seen as nebulous. Plus, like it or not, it is also relationship driven. You need to be able to sell your contacts and expertise in the US.

More importantly, I think the industry you specialize into also matters. A lot of the big and booming industries in the US like pharma, healthcare, high tech etc are run on a very different level and scale in Singapore. So the clients / potential employers are also very different. Bear that in mind, as the change will be extremely drastic.