25 year old experienced analyst?
Hi everyone,
I have a question in relation to breaking into the BB as an analyst (specifically in London) while being a bit older and with some experience.
To give a bit of background I studied business in college and didn't enjoy it that much until I took some finance classes. Having OK grades I decided I needed a Masters to get a job in corporate finance (MSc is from an FT ranked reputable school). Through some networking and good grades I secured an internship in a Big 4 corporate finance house. Straight after the internship I was taken on in an Associate position on a full contract (non-trainee). This was unusual for this particular team as they had never taken in someone directly from college (other hires were qualified accountants from the audit practice or experienced hires). The team is c 15 people and is generalist in nature due to the small size of the market we operate in. In my 18 months since I've stated I have worked on a number of lower MM M&A deals (lead sell side advisors, c10m - 100m euro deals), loan portfolio sales on both the buy side and sell side and on a number of valuation assignments.
I feel like I have something good going here and I get to worked closely with our clients (C-suite) and I have a good relationship with Partners and other team members. Basically I enjoy the work and feel like I can move relatively quickly if I stick around. I have passed CFA 1 and the work life balance is good enough that I can pursue the next two levels and become a Charterholder.
BUT I since I have been interested in finance I have wanted to work in a large financial centre in a BB. Its something I think about a lot and feel like if I never have a crack at it I'll regret it. If I apply next time around I will be 25.
So with that in mind here are my questions:
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Would I even be considered due to my age/experience? Do Banks want their analysts to be raw so they can mould them from day 1?
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Do you know of anyone who has done something similar?
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Would I be stupid for leaving where I am now? The work is good. I get a lot of exposure to clients and a lot of responsibility.
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Is there any advice on there about how to break into a BB other than apply and see what happens? I have a few contacts in London I can reach out to. I'm keeping my powder dry in regards to reaching out until applications open (or close to open).
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Any other advice/suggestions?
I know deep down I would regret it if I didn't go for it. All comments would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers.
+1, you're a lot steeper than me in your career path but i hope you get an answer
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You're definitely not too old. Plenty of people starting out at 25. Hell, if not at an older age.
Above is correct. You're not old. Actually I'd say the average age is around 23/24 as there are quite few foreigners and they tend to finish school quite late. For example, most French kids finish school when they're 23/24.
Not too old, I started on an analyst program at 25 last year. Most of the people in the assessment centre were graduates with 2-3 years experience in consulting/finance (not banking though) with a few fresh grads.
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