Breaking in and career change at 29

Hello WallStreetOasis,

I am a May 2019 non-target graduate (and a career changer) majoring in finance & economics trying to get into finance even though I am aware that all odds are against me. This is my first post in WSO and hopefully, at least someone can help me out because I really need it.

I will try to be as direct as possible since I know you all probably have better things to do... I am a 29-year-old male who immigrated to the U.S. 5 years ago with permission to work (permanent resident). Graduated from the 3-year college in Eastern Europe majoring in management at the very non-target school that no one gives a jack-squat here. For the last 4 years, I was working for a well established regional company in the Renewables sector as a PM. Completed projects for customers such as Tesla, GE, PPL Corporation, etc. Decided to pursue finance and economics degree at a non-target (Rutgers) and will graduate in May of this year with 3.7GPA (I took 2 years in total). I did not take upon any of the internships because 1) I didn't realize quickly enough how useful the internship is going to be for the rest of my career, 2) I financed my entire education through full-time employment. Last year I took an analyst role in the company (working mostly on project risk management, and compliance) to at least get some sense of finance-related activities.

In the short term, I just want to break in (I live in NYC btw)... and then move laterally inside the company to more satisfying roles. My question is what jobs should I target? I am open to literally anything; risk, compliance, corporate/commercial banking. In the long run, I would like to go the Equity research route and perhaps Corporate strategy.

Also, what do you think of my age (29) and how will this reflect on recruitment and my career in the long run. Needless to say, I am quite aware of my deficiencies but I am also a hard working man, I lived by myself and pushed myself pretty much since I was 18, and I am not afraid of change or challenges ....

1 Comments
 

Eum eaque voluptas magnam rem tempora. Sint et esse dolore aliquid voluptatibus repellendus. Itaque voluptate voluptate sint. Voluptatem nulla error architecto soluta eum ut et.

Qui fugiat molestiae sed corporis maiores officiis. Velit vitae hic quibusdam quia doloribus dolor.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”