New Member- Any advice appreciated
Hello WSO. I've recently been viewing this site any chance I get. I'm very impressed with the depth of information, experience and knowledge, and the overall atmosphere here.
I'm on my way to work on my phone, so I'll do my best to make this quick. I will be able to respond after 7 pm EST. I'm looking for any advice on my situation I can.
Brief synopsis of my experience: Marketing degree from the University of Florida 2005. 7 years of customer service and sales experience in a variety of jobs (all part time unfortunately) . Currently work at Bank of America as a bank teller.
I'm 29 and am off to a very late start for reasons I can discuss later. I want to continue gaining any appropriate experience I can, attain my MBA, and get into investments or something analytical (Financial analyst looks like the best fit based off the occupational outlook handbook.)
To make it as quick as possible, what my next steps? Internship, studying for GMAT, while continuing to work part-time at BoA. Also, beefing up my resume, and gaining as much knowledge as possible?
Thank you for any input and I apologize for the lack of details. I want to do what is necessary to go from a bank teller to investments or analysis. I am more than willing to do pay my dues and have no specific timeframe. Thanks again.
I am confused - how do you have a degree from Florida but are working part time as a bank teller?
dude i think your best bet would be to land a corporate finance / FP&A type job. and that would likely be post-MBA. with your shitty track record and the state the economy is in i dont think you should be expecting more than that. sounds like you might be a fine fit for a financial advisor though. have you looked into that?
I feel for you. Retail banking absolutely blows...what sucks is that there is a Chinese wall...you can't even hop on to the other side internally no matter how hard you try.
hey man - I applaud your sincerity and interest in getting into this field (bank teller for bofa does not count). you are gonna have a real uphill battle breaking into finance tho, so have your ego in check as a lot of people are gonna give you a lot of shit and slam the door on you. but if you are humble, resilient, and smart, you should be able to network your way in.
an mba is a good starting point since you'll have the opportunity to rebrand yourself. b-school will also afford you with several networking and recruiting opportunities. honestly, with the info you've provided, I don't think you'll break into a top 20 program (unless your gmat is amazing), but look into programs like UM and FIU that have a solid reputation and several channels to the financial sector in south florida. the downside is that you'll be +30 year's old as you restart your career, so you are going to meet a lot of resistance. networking is obviously a must.
i would recommend narrowing your interests when it comes to finance. in my opinion, you should scratch off investment banking and private equity. PWM is a more viable route for you as well as a corporate finance/FP&A role as mentioned above. looking at local broker/dealers might be an option. perhaps look into doing some trading on your own time and start studying for certifications like the series7 since several employers will require it.
unfortunately, optics are very important in finance, so your gonna have to push very hard and come to terms that there are certain kinds of roles you simply wont be able to get. but hey, if a janitor's assitant can make it all the way to the top of the world's most powerful investment bank, you can sure as hell break in.
suerte!
Echoing what esbanker said, you need to narrow your interests in the field. 'Investments' or 'analysis' is to broad. Look at the FAQ's on this site for a little more color on the different facets of finance and do some googling.
Given your qualifications I'd look into private wealth management and private banking, both are more sales type positions with which you'd probably be more familiar. Also, start networking with UF alumni on the street to get a better idea of the people in each of the different fields (linkedin is immensely helpful for this)--that will be the most important part of this process by far.
Good luck!
Thanks for the replies. There's no worry about me keeping things in perspective and realistic. One of the main reasons for being where I am is as follows.
Graduated UF in 2005 and got a part time job at a local gym while playing professional poker online. Did a terrible job at balancing social and academics in college. I graduated, but regret the way I went about things. In hindsight I should not of lived in a frat house for 3 years. But it is what it is. I also lost my drivers license in 2007 for 5 years. I finally get it back in august of this year.
The poker hobby was just that and I decided to bounce around jobs and have fun after college. I was very immature how I handled my situation, no doubt about that. My last job was at a grocery store as a meat cutter, hence my ego is well in check. But I'm not going to continue to replay the past over and over and not do something proactive about it.
I feel very fortunate to work at a retail bank because of where I've been the past half decade. But I'm not going to give up, as I truly believe my potential is extremely high. Just need to harness my energy on positive behaviors that can contribute to continued success.
Hearing this, is an MBA my best option? I have always been a great test taker, and am confident with a couple months of REAL studying, I can do extremely well.
Again. Thanks for the advice and PWM recommendation.
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