A Little Worried

Hi...I am new to posting on the forum but I have been reading a lot of posts. I want to explain my situation and let the elder monkeys tell me what they think.

I was an investment banking analyst with a small bank, not a boutique, think William Blair, Morgan Keegan, etc. I left after a year for a multitude of reasons such as my team just sucked they were not trying to get business, there was no flow of information, and people did not give a fuck about the person below them or even above them. This coupled with the fact that I would spend 80-90 hours a week sitting at my cube doing pitches that my boss would never close.

After I left I did not want to go back to banking, I guess I was scarred. I actually joined a F100 company and work in their financial analyst department doing internal metrics. I picked this job for several reasons such as good pay $60,000 plus a $20,000 end of year for working 5-days a week and getting every other Friday off. Also, to be next to my girlfriend and college roommates, never a good reason but it was one of them.

I have been at this firm going onto my second year, the last year of my contract, and I have fulfilled a lot of goals of mine. I started a small non-profit and I also am going to take my CFA III next summer. The problem is I yearn for the investment world and I want to get into a HF or PE even. I have invested my own money with success, which no one cares about. However, what are my chances? I am only 25 and I have a BS in Finance from a small liberal arts school. I received a 740 on my GMAT so I guess an option is going to B-School, however, I will have my CFA and I do not want to waste my time. Will the fact that I was in IBD and left hurt me, especially since I left for non HF/PE/IBD? Any advice?

11 Comments
 

for what it is worth...

almost all of the people that i know that work at HFs do not have banking backgrounds...

more specifically --- i do not think leaving after a year is going to hurt you.

 

what do you have to offer them in this market climate? One year IBD may not hurt you, but I would suggest you come up with a better spin on your story during an interview.

An MBA is really never a waste of time. Will the CFA really be of any help ?

My suggestion to you is to position your thoughts in a better format.

Give it a shot, you have nothing to lose. Good luck

 

Your previous career choices will hurt you if you can not craft a good story as to why you did what you did. If you have sincere and valid explanations for what you did, backed by clear evidence, it will certainly not hurt (or at least minimally). If you left IBD and decided to remain unemployed for a year, I'd be suspicious. You have been active and clearly worked hard. I'd say you have a story you can tell that will make up for any possible shortcomings.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

Vitae odio rem culpa aut. Et nihil nisi nihil error soluta hic quia. Nam illo perspiciatis pariatur nemo eligendi ab.

In nesciunt velit accusamus est et voluptatem suscipit. Cupiditate ad et eum quo consectetur. Aliquid magni sit perspiciatis adipisci aperiam dolores. Architecto fugiat sint modi placeat et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”