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Hi all,I have been lurking on the website for a while and this is my first post. I am applying to MPA/MPP/MA in Intl Affairs programs for 2020 fall but now I am a little lost. I am an Intl student who went to a top US uni (top20) and graduated last year. I have been interested in international affairs and politics for a while (was writer for school politics magazine, did research in IR, etc) but eventually I went into investment banking after graduation. I was not particularly into banking but I guess I did not think about my career paths clearly before getting into finance. One year after doing the job I realized that banking, or finance in general, is a bit too boring for me. Around that time I also had a bit of family issues and was depressed as a result. 

I then quit and joined a multilateral organization as an intern (6 months) focusing on sustainable investment policy in region, while making plans to go back to the states for a MPA/MPP degree. I did my GRE in Sept. and luckily got a full score (writing 4.5) Currently I am applying to SAIS MA, SIPA MIA, HKS and Uchi Harris + maybe stanford 

However, after spending some time doing research and browsing this website, I started to have a bit doubts. I kinda feel like I was too silly to just quit a high-paying job and jump into this field without knowing the difficulties ahead. I do know that a policy job for intl students is not going to be lucrative, but I don't really mind the salary as long as I really enjoy it and I am not starving. My issue now is I dont know if I am THAT into the policy field. Doing my current internship makes me feel like maybe politics and stuff are just my hobbies on the side. I know that I don't wanna go back to banking, so I am starting to think about maybe consulting or macroeconomics research or equity research in the future, while still exploring the policy sector after I get into one of those programs (like maybe world bank, IMF, Asia Dev bank, etc)

My question is should i also apply to dual degrees in MBA? My dilemma is that I stupidly quit my job so I only have one year full time experience in banking + an internship before MBA. I think most private sector companies will look for those with 3-5 work exp post-MBA grads, let alone the fact that top MBAs normally don't take those with work exp less than 2 years.

Thanks for your inputs in advance. Any suggestions on job search or figuring out ur career passion are welcome. 

  • 2 weeks later...

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