I graduated in 2009 with a degree in Engineering and 2010 with a second major in economics from a non-target school with a 3.02 GPA. Not great, I know.
I worked for a while right out of school at a retirement recordkeeping company where I got my FINRA Series 6 and 63 licenses (they expire May 2013). Since then I've been working as an engineer and am finding that I would rather work in finance because this isn't something I'm really not passionate about anymore (if I ever was).
Anyways, my plan is to get some kind of position right now, work it a few years, then get an MBA from a top school which should have me in a pretty good position.
I am also scheduled to take the CFA Level 1 exam in June, so I'm planning on getting both CFA and MBA.
I'm really trying to plan ahead here, and am looking for positions that I could realistically get right now that will look good on my resume for the future post-MBA when I'm trying to find a job.
What should I be looking for? PWM? Equity research? Financial advising? I'm really not sure what kind of "entry level" positions there are that I could apply for that would go towards the CFA requirement and boost my resume.
If I can't find something by Fall 2013 (which I really think I should be able to) I'm considering going into an MSF prog. I know this would give me the experience but I really don't want to take two years out and go into tens of thousands of dollars of debt if I don't have to!
Look for asset management roles -- real investing roles, not financial adviser work..
You are almost three years out of school, why not get your MBA now? When they ask you "why MBA?" tell them you want to switch careers and an MBA is a perfect way to do just that. Nothing wrong with this route. It will be easier to get an investing job after your MBA (given that it is a decent school). Jobs in the industry are tough to come by, but I have met many engineers that are now in AMgmt. Typically they had to go to school to switch careers. Truth is you need that finance knowledge and background from a reputable institution. CFA only gets you so far and especially having just Level 1, it is just not enough to have an understanding of the topics that you will need to be familiar with at work. An MBA will also help employers look past your ugrad GPA.
IMO, you should be focusing on getting into a good bschool now or getting an investing job (which will be tougher than the first option).
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