Structured Finance Advisory Exit Opportunities

Currently an analyst in a Structured Finance advisory group focused primarily on CLOs. My work involves advising trustees/collateral managers on quarterly payment calculations, IC/OC/CQ testing, effective date setups, warehouse transactions, and broader deal mechanics/processes.

I came from a non-target (T50 university) and am trying to think more intentionally about long-term career positioning. Through this role, I’ve realized the parts of structured finance that interest me most are the investing, underwriting, structuring, and capital markets side rather than the more operational/process-oriented work.

I’m trying to better understand the most realistic path from my current seat into a true investing or revenue-generating role. Areas I’ve been exploring include:

CLO investing / structured credit analyst rolesSecuritized products research or tradingPrivate credit / asset-backed financeStructured products at asset managersDCM / structured finance banking

One challenge I’m running into is that nearly every recruiter reaching out is pushing me toward valuation, portfolio operations, or middle-office structured finance roles at large asset managers. While those firms are attractive, the actual responsibilities seem fairly lateral to what I do today, and I’m concerned about getting too pigeonholed into operational structured finance work.

To bridge the gap, I’ve been teaching myself more technical/investing-oriented material outside of work (currently studying securitization structuring and cash flow mechanics independently, including the Allman CLO/structured credit materials), but I still feel somewhat uncertain on what the most realistic next step should be.

For anyone who has made a similar transition:

Which roles are the most feasible jump from this background?What skills/tools actually matter most for breaking into buy-side structured credit?Is moving first into valuation/portfolio management support at a top asset manager a necessary stepping stone, or should I avoid that path if the long-term goal is investing?Are there specific firms/groups that are known for giving people with technical structured finance backgrounds a shot on the investing side?

Would really appreciate any candid advice from people in CLOs, structured credit, private credit, securitized products, or related areas.