Career Advice, 2015 Grad

Hey guys,

I'm looking for some career advice. I graduated in 2015 with a BA Economics and a minor in Finance. After graduating, I continued working for a company I interned with for 2 years (part time while in school). 3 months into that I transitioned into real estate working as an analyst in their Asset Management division. The culture there sucked, I hated it, so I left a few months shy of a year. I traveled for a few months and now I'm back home and interviewing as a financial analyst for firms in various industries. While I traveling I realized that what I really want to do is equity asset management. That's when I formulated this "plan." I have a couple of years to execute this game plan, but I would like some feedback and a general sense of how people would look at this.

Basically, I want to know if I can land interviews by passing Level 1 & 2 of the CFA® and take the WallStreetPrep Modeling boot camp. I know doing these two won't land me a job, but all I'm hoping for is to stand out and get a call back and/or an interview. I've looked at the curriculum, talked to my network here in LA and NY, and have heard repeatedly that the designation is crucial. As for the curriculum, I'm very interested in what it has to offer from a knowledge standpoint, and I want to take the boot camp to learn the modeling skill set and also because I have no background in financial modeling. All in all, my plan would cost around $4500, but spread over 1.5-2 years, I can afford it. I also consider an investment for the long run.

Also, I just turned 24 and I consider myself at the early stages of my career. However, I feel old given that I would not have this plan completed until I am a few months shy of my 26th.

Any feedback on this plan and whether or not I shall reap any benefit in a couple of years?

Best,

J

3 Comments
 
Best Response

Fellow Econ grad as well but I graduated in 12'. I can't offer a lot of advice since I'm not going down that route. CFA sounds like a good start though. My recommendation is to get on with a company that would sponsor it, while you work in a FA role. That way you get your real world exp and majority of costs paid by the company. A buddy of mine (who's about 32) just did that and was able to pass L3 right after he got his 3 years FA exp requirement. Boom CFA.

I'm sure there's others who can give more direct advice. Never too late to start over. I just kind of started over myself and I'm 26.

 

Consequatur eius dolore porro omnis ea. Molestias illum aut error aut nisi. Voluptate assumenda et quidem sit natus.

Sint consequatur aperiam non ex dolor praesentium et sed. Maxime architecto et quod dolores in neque repudiandae ut. Doloribus ut quia porro totam ipsam rerum.

Eveniet nostrum vero neque nulla. Qui voluptas ut labore. Porro quia id incidunt ipsum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”