The next step..
Hi monkeys, I'm in need of a bit of advice.
Text wall of background:
Out of high school I didn't really know what I wanted to study but based on my interests at the time (analytical science type things) I thought that engineering seemed like a good fit. I applied and decided on a college with this in mind. Although it had fantastic engineering, sciences, comp sci, etc programs, it was decidedly non-target for anything related to upper level finance. I switched to business my sophomore year, finance my junior, and then with only a semester left to graduate, found myself at an unknown school with minimal internships/work experience. Damn. After graduating I spent about 6 months daytrading independently and managed to leverage that into a trading position with a smalltime mutual fund. That's where I am now.
At this point I've exhausted my personal and alumni network with nothing to show for it and the more I think about it, it just doesn't make sense to keep flinging resumes into the interwebs. I need a change.
Given this situation I've come up with a couple potential moves, but I'm conflicted on which to pursue. Do I redouble my networking efforts and start cold calling all of Chicago? Do I start applying to business schools and hope to have better luck with that networking/degree? Do I go for grad school in something quant related? Trade on my own and build a track record? Something else entirely?
I don't mind putting in the hours to make this work, its just a question of how my time would be best spent. Suggestions?