Transitioning to investing/research from data science

I used to work as a data scientist at a top BB on the sell side. We came up with ideas and market analyses for senior people to guide client meetings. 

I graduated from my bachelor's in math/economics from a nontarget. I love investing, investment research, and working with people, and would like to eventually work directly with people in industry and/or manage a portfolio. 

Many headhunters propose me for roles in analytics, while I would prefer to be in a more front facing and less technical role in asset management. 

I've picked up some systematic investing projects, and have learnt some DCF/DDM/LBO modelling as well. I'm applying to a wide breadth of roles but I'm not sure where my skillset and interests would best fit. Through my few years working, I've worked with different types of data and am preparing for my CFA exams.

• Systematic investing - most roles require a graduate degree and it is a very technical role 
• Investment analyst - many people appear to have a background in investment banking 
• Equity research - many roles require previous sector experience 
• Trading - many people are hired after an internship or after graduation
• Systematic trading - very technical

I deeply appreciate any advice and insights regarding how to navigate this transition viz. additional skills to pick up, roles to target, and headhunters vs talking to firms directly.