Even after the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, MBAs still flock to the finance industry, which continues to be better remunerated than any other.

At BusinessBecause we speak to hundreds of MBAs each week, many of who have used an MBA to break into their chosen area of finance. What do these success stories have in common? They’re all grads of business schools that have very strong links with finance firms, and that are in major financial centres. But even within this category, there’s a wide variety of schools to choose from. Here are some examples:

Karim Jaroudi graduated in 2011 with a joint MBA from NYU Stern and HEC Paris and is now an Investment Banking Associate with HSBC in New York. Karim worked for several banks including Merrill Lynch, Dubai Bank and Jefferies & Company in the Middle East, and the MBA enabled him to make the switch to New York City. “An MBA for me was a good point at which to re-evaluate my career and make a change without any penalty,” he says.

Italian Pietro Marini went straight onto the MBA at MIP Politecnico Di Milano after completing his undergraduate. After university he did not feel properly prepared for the job market, and thought an MBA would help him get the jobs he wanted. “I had the opportunity to work and study with very smart people who were determined in their careers and focused on being the very best. Before the MBA I was not as ambitious as I am now. I would probably not have even tried an experience abroad”, says Pietro. Straight out of his MBA, Pietro landed a job with JP Morgan in Luxembourg. Six years on, he is working for Goldman Sachs Asset Management in London, with responsibility for Global Liquidity Sales.

World Bank Economist Tanja Boskovic wanted to move into finance, but was struggling to land interviews. She decided to do the University of Chicago Booth full-time MBA and now she's successfully made a career "triple jump", switching job sector, function and location! After graduating from Booth in 2008, she landed a role at asset management firm BlackRock in London. “Prior to the MBA, I didn’t get interviews for finance jobs but the MBA helped me with putting my story together, gave me more confidence and taught me how to sell myself”, she says.

In mainland China, the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance was established in 2009 at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with strategic and financial support from the Shanghai Municipal Government. Its mission is to develop top talents for the financial world and contributing to the development of Shanghai as a global financial center. Its programmes include a two-year Finance MBA and a two-year Master of Finance, both taught in English. There are generous scholarships available for overseas applicants.

Maria Ahmed is Editor of BusinessBecause.com, a professional network for the business school world. On BusinessBecause you’ll find useful information about MBA jobs, MBA Rankings and fresh daily editorial including the Why MBA series.