30 and Ready to Swtich Careers

I knew a 30 year old guy, who was previously an accountant and had no banking experience. He was attending a top 10 MBA program and was doing his Summer Associate/MBA internship gig in IB. I personally don't think you're too old because I've seen this guy do it.

With that said, I don't think you have a shot without getting into a top b-school. Odds are you won't get in at a junior level and you probably won't get a pre-MBA associate role without any previous banking experience.

Not sure if others will agree with me.

Agree that MBA would make your way in much easier; the only way I can see you get interviews now is via network. Even though it's probably quite a long shot ask friends in the industry (or ask friends to ask friends...) to refer you internally for interviews now. You'd need to very well prepare informational chats with those people likely to recommend you in order to convince that once you get to formal interviews you really impress. The info provided on this website is the best on the internet to set you up well for interviews.

To be on the safe side, you really want to get going on MBA apps too.

Just two questions: 1.. What was gpa? 2. Are you sure you want to commit to the lifestyle that comes with Investment Bakery?

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Dude, don't be so lazy. Use the search function, there are years of questions just like yours answered in great detail.

Long story short, anyone with a CS background (especially with an advanced degree) is better suited towards trading. Just use the search function to find the best prop shops and hit up their career pages. 5+ years as a software engineer with an advanced degree should get you some traction provided you know how to write a cover letter and are not socially retarded.

I'm in somewhat of a similar situation (applying to b-school this fall from an engineering background), although I'm several years younger.

30 is not too old to apply for a top tier MBA, but I wouldn't apply to Harvard/Stanford since they are trending young. Lateralling to IB is tough, but the MBA can make it easier and put you on a level playing field.

This is bs, I know 'some' people >=30 who got into H and S. As long as your story makes sense to adcom you can go through.

Here is a summary of what you will find if you do a search:

A. In order to switch into banking, you will need an MBA. You will start off as an associate, just like everyone else. Unless you think you have something of considerable value to add to the bank and jump to VP, but without serious industry contacts or your own personal trillion dollar balance sheet, this is very unlikely to be the case. MBA's are for career switchers like yourself, and you are definitely not too old to get an MBA. You will of course, need to attend a school that the banks you mentioned (like GS or JPM) recruit from. Look at Dartmouth (Tuck) or some of its peers for the idea of the school type which will recruit you. Banking isn't really a meritocratic industry, but instead they just want smart, hardworking associates (they basically use admissions to top schools as a screening process, and not really because they care that you have an education) to slave away for a few years until they are old enough to pitch to clients.

In order to get an MBA at a top school, you'll need to "craft a story", as to why you'd want to switch into IB. Thus, ask yourself now, do you really want to work in IB? Do you really want to slave away in an industry which is hated by everyone in America, and is likely (although I'll get shit from WSO for this) to be automated/outsourced anyway? Are you married or do you have a family? Are you ready to put a significant strain on your relationships if that is the case? Sure, you can make a lot of money in banking, but will you really be happier than you are at your current job? If this is the case, you'll need to find a way to tailor your story so that you can convince adcoms at top schools that you need their degree in order to pursue your "dream".

B. The better option for you might be to search for a quant/developer/trader type role. I don't know which languages you know but this area is much more meritocratic, and people will look at your resume if you have the experience they need. Check online, or if you can find a way to access a bloomberg terminal, use the bloomberg job search function, to find a gig.

Again, this is all from threads I've read on this site (I've bookmarked a few good ones on my profile).