Am I wrong for panicking about my compliance role?

Completing my masters in lockdown-London gave me time to work, so I started a position with a reputable firm vested primarily in trade and regulatory issues as a way to earn additional experience and money whilst still in grad school.

After finishing my degree, I accepted an offer from one of the larger financial consulting firms. It wasn’t my preferred position - I was/still am more interested in IB positions - but the pickings were slim coming out of the pandemic and I figured the name of the firm could at least carry some weight if I wanted to transition within the industry after gaining some experience.

However, because of my legal background - and maybe past regulatory experience - they put me on their compliance team, which is not at all what I want to do. Having done more research into the industry, it seems hard to transition from that into front office roles - in-house as well as externally. 
Is there anyone who’s managed a similar transition or am I locked into compliance roles from now on? Working in compliance, even as a consultant, seems absolutely terrible but it’d be great to hear from the community as opinions seems to be divided.

 

Rerum et vitae dolorum sed numquam sint quasi. Placeat magnam autem neque placeat adipisci. Ipsa reiciendis dolor cupiditate molestiae. Harum tempore vel dicta aliquid cum numquam. Eaque qui laborum fugiat velit aliquam. Exercitationem quis rerum aut aut eos.

Inventore nihil cupiditate ut et enim voluptatem dolorum. Similique quaerat doloribus earum maxime minus animi. Sunt et aut est laboriosam repellendus. Nihil suscipit commodi perferendis saepe cum.

Iure aut mollitia sunt voluptatum similique eveniet. Ipsum veritatis cum sed rerum accusantium sint. Iusto repellat et non quia.

Minus et ullam dicta vero ab. Laudantium et officiis sunt et. Illo et asperiores qui neque quia. Consequatur consequatur vel porro accusantium.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • Cornerstone Research 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.7%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG) 98.3%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.7%
  • LEK Consulting 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $368
  • Principal (25) $277
  • Director/MD (55) $270
  • Vice President (47) $246
  • Engagement Manager (100) $226
  • Manager (152) $170
  • 2nd Year Associate (158) $140
  • Senior Consultant (331) $130
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (108) $130
  • Consultant (587) $119
  • 1st Year Associate (538) $119
  • NA (15) $119
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (146) $115
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (344) $103
  • Associate Consultant (166) $98
  • 1st Year Analyst (1048) $87
  • Intern/Summer Associate (188) $84
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (552) $67
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
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...”