Change Management – Exit Ops

Hey my WSO cohorts,

I have this career dilemma and would appreciate some guidance from those that care to provide.

Here’s the deal(Intro):

Graduated in 2009 from what one would say a ‘non-target’ University in the UK.

Unfortunately never got onto a grad’ scheme upon Graduation (I was aiming for Finance FO role or close to).

Got to do an internship abroad for a small economic research firm for 6 months a couple of months after graduation.

Worked for a small financial derivatives firm when I returned to the UK in a client services capacity (albeit, ridiculously amateur retail client) but some
market execution involvement.

Last year May I got a seduced by a 42% pay increase (I was being substantially underpaid at this point in my view) and jumped ship to a small Asian IB as a
Business Analyst in a ‘Change Management’ team.

Rant:
My current role has given me a great deal of operational/consultancy type experience but I hate being a resource that can be picked up and dropped into a
project to deliver what has been recently as crap and all to do with Dodd Frank… I can imagine this role was a little more exciting when more discretionary
projects were being delivered but now it mostly all regulatory driven. I dislike the fact that I am always waiting on people who actually have a day-to-day
responsibility, which they know back to front and can be confident in what they say when talking about there division or process and all I can do is agree,
take notes and put it in a document, coming back with questions if something doesn’t quite fit. To me this BA stuff is starting to seem like a ‘jack of all
trade master of none’ type role and I find it difficult to feel a sense of achievement with the type of crap that is being thrown at me and that is in the
pipeline….

Issue:
Now.. I always thought of this role as a ‘back door’ route into what ever I could make it eventually i.e. Eq. Research, Trading, Structuring… so, I have
networked as much as my personality has let me and now know a good few people around the bank FID trading, Risk, Business Managers and IT but mainly
operations (as that’s closer to home). My firm has sponsored me to do the CFA® (which I appreciate very much) and so I worked my butt off H1 this year to
sit it a few weeks back.

I have been putting myself out there externally for Research, PWM and Junior Asset Management roles (performance analyst).. I know this may sound like I
don’t have a clear direction, but at this point in time I want to come out of the operational role into a more quantitative role with an external outlook
and one that would compliment my CFA®  efforts before I get pigeon holed into a simple operations guy… I was thinking of getting in a FID trade support role
and build my knowledge in one of the FID asset classes (Rates preferably, possibly credit) and then at least I would have more face time with Traders and
actually know a product F2B. Completing CFA® Level 2 and attempt again or if not possible stay in my current role until I get lucky in outside (I plan to
network as much as possible and get recruiters onside).

Solution:
So I now turn to the community for advice.

Has anyone had a similar path to mine and made it to the role they wanted?

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

What options are out there for me career wise? What wouldn’t seem like a huge transition to potential employers?

What would boost my employer-ability or give me an edge to get into the role I want?

Are there other areas that I am neglecting to consider that could be just as fun, rewarding and challenging?

I hope this is a post that all would like to contribute to.

Thanks