Background: I graduated a semester early (12/22) from a top 25 state school with a degree in Operations & Information Management with a 3.86 GPA. I have been working as the Director of Sales & Marketing @ an assisted living and want to change jobs. I also work as a prop trader within crypto and I am starting as a crypto research intern at a startup.

During college, I had multiple internships within VC and startups. I also have individual exposure to crypto and have a crypto Twitter with numerous connections to founders and lots of followers. Additionally, I have a side hustle in a soccer training account with a team consisting of an MLS player and 2 former D1 players. This will be scaling quickly. Other interests/extracurriculars include traveling(10+ countries, many states), running(will be connecting w charities on this soon), and reading.

I want to apply to schools in Fall 2025 for Fall '26 start. I haven't taken the GMAT yet and I will prob give a shot at the old(current) format before the focus edition rolls out. Shooting for +720 as it's needed.

My dilemma: I see limited upside potential in my current role as I will maximize my impact within a year. Although it's a different/unique field it's not overly impressive. I could either shoot to go full-time for the crypto startup or join a two-year corporate paralegal program at a top 15 law firm 2 years before enrolling. Im not sure what the commonality of a paralegal to MBA is pipeline but it might differentiate my profile (I am a white male). I could also take on a mentor role in my 2nd year. The paralegal position would be a great experience as the department works closely w/ MBB and I could potentially do crypto startup part-time/freelance. What would work better or is it personal preference?

Additionally, for a post-MBA career, would I need to target IB/Consulting before VC, or if I worked at the crypto startup, would that help the switch?

I've been on my MBA research grind a lot as I do not find my current role engaging enough(I am very bored, hence ongoing internships/side hustles).

I know it's a long read, I'll post updates in the future too! Thank you for all you do! Have been flying through the podcast on Spotify @ 2x speed on my morning commute lol, and I did drop a rating!!