Jamie Lippman, who focused on sustainability while attaining her MBA from Dartmouth College, said her niche focus meant she had to take a full-time internship after graduating, while most of her more generalist peers got immediate job offers and signing bonuses during the school year.
"When you get into your MBA program, if you go into a traditional route, you’re given a moving sidewalk for your career development," says Lippman, who now works at a large retail company as a social responsibility manager. With sustainable MBAs, "there’s no moving sidewalk. You don’t know what you’re doing. You have to forge your own path."
With most top-rated MBA programs now offering dual degrees in environmental studies, concentrations in sustainability, or a number of elective courses, more students than ever are graduating with sustainable specialties.
"The headcount that firms are looking to fill out is probably still lower than the number of students coming out and wanting to be dedicated to this," says Raul Pomares, founder of Sonen Capital in San Francisco. Over the longer-term, he expects greater demand for these kinds of graduates.
Matt Arnold, managing director and global head of social and sustainable finance at JPMorgan Chase, says the job market for MBAs interested in sustainable finance was a disaster when he graduated in 1988. There are more opportunities now, he says, but the field is dominated by mid-career professionals, making it difficult for new graduates to break in.
"Life’s tough for these kids," Arnold says. "There is no real career path."