FT immediately after SA?

DynamicM3 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:17:51 -0400

Is it common to go directly to FT after the SA program ends, or do they often overlap? The reason I ask is because I will be looking to make the move to IBD come May (when I complete my MBA), and to date only have FA experience (from an insurance company no less, though I will have market exposure). I presume that in my case (low undergrad GPA from non-target), it would be wise to take the SA route before attempting FT, but I am worried that there is a year gap from SA to FT as many SAs are juniors; and I will be in my final year of my MBA.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Request for a brief credential analysis if I may...

DynamicM3 — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:06:41 -0400

I realize that requests like this get posted every second of the day, but I would like to ask for some feedback regarding my profile. My goal is to enter the IB market (analyst), and I aspire for the BB. I ultimately would like to know what the best approach would be to break into IB, given some of my "educational shortcomings".

Undergrad:

University at Buffalo
BS in Bus. Admin., Marketing Concentration
Overall GPA 2.54, Bus. GPA 2.68

Graduate:

St. John Fisher
MBA
Current GPA 3.68
Will complete the program this spring ('09)

I also will be acquiring my Series 7 on Jul. 7th.

I currently work as a financial rep. for Northwestern Mutual, this is where I discovered my interest in IB. I have also held 3 marketing/sales internships throughout my undergrad career, one of which with an F500 organization.