Pivoting to FP&A, 1 year into my first job in AM

Hi All,

I hope you all are doing well. In a nut shell, I got my first gig out of college in AM @ a bank where I support both our portfolio management & sales team. I took interest more so in the sales side but realized it’s not part of the business that stimulates me nor one I feel like I would be successful in (long hours/going to tons of events, extremely high turnover, sales goals, etc).

I want to pivot into a corporate finance/FP&A role but a lot of postings require 2-3 years in an accounting-esque role. I want to use my free time to start learning on my own (financial planning & analysis by jack Alexander?) for the next few months then start applying to some of the entry level roles.
 

My question would be is there anything else I should take advantage of learning in my free time and would the CPA be a requirement for the industry? I’ve heard CF can be mundane but realistically I would like a more ridig role and it seems like the progression in CF/FP&A is fairly laid out where my current role lacks a ton of clarity on career progression.

I also am not sure if I should look to jump ship asap while I’m fresher out of college or just stay at my current job — the crux is our bank has laid people off but I’m ideally staying on for another year or two since I’m in the trainee pipeline and don’t want to cut myself short; I could Atleast experience the sales role fully as I ramp up too but I wouldn’t be developing skills that would translate well.