Am I Screwed? - Currently working for a small boutique

Currently I work for a small boutique capital management firm also offering financial planning and insurance. I handle all investment operations/maintanence for our client. I would like to transition into equity research but realize I will probably have to start in a back office and work my way up.

Little background. 2 years out of non target undergrad: cum GPA ~ 3.0 with major GPA (finance and international business) ~ 3.1.

in my curernt position I do help the senior advisor with investment allocation/ choosing the best investment platform for our clients/ mutual fund analysis and due diligence. What are the chances I could start at a middle market firm (Baird, Lazard) in the back office working in operations while transitioning into an analyst role over time. Would a CFA or an MBA help seeing that my GPA is not all that attractive.

I do have my Series 7 and 63.

Any help is much appreciated.

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