Getting into Finance or consulting with Criminal conviction

Hello everyone, I'm seeking some advice and guidance regarding mysituation and how it might impact my future career in thefinancial services industry. A bit of background about myself: I'm a 23-year-old studentcurrently studying Accounting and Finance at a Top TenUniversity. I’ll be graduating at the age of 25, making mesomewhat of a mature student. My journey to this point hasbeen quite unconventional. When I was 18, I made a significant mistake that stillhaunts me. At the time, I was struggling to find a part-timejob, and I knew a couple of people who were selling cannabis and making a bit of money on the side. It seemed like a good idea then, but looking back now, I realize howfoolish it was and I take full responsibility for my actions. Iended up selling weed to my friends and people I knew.

One day, I was caught by the police with around 13 or 14grams of cannabis and multiple small plastic bags, which clearly indicated I was selling it. I pled guilty as I was caught red-handed. Consequently, I was convicted of possession with intent to supply a Class B substance.  Since then, I’ve worked hard to turn my life around. After moving to a different city, I enrolled in university but ended-up dropping out after a year to start a recruitment business. I successfully ran this business for two years before selling my shares to my business partner. Now, I’m back at university , committed to building a career in finance, with dreams of working in investment banking, retail banking, commercial banking, private equity, asset management, or Consulting. My concern is that this criminal conviction, which occurred when I was 18, will jeopardize my chances of achieving my career goals. By the time I graduate, seven years will have passed since the conviction, but I'm worried it may still affect my employability in the finance sector. Has anyone else been in a similar situation or know of someone who has?    How might this past mistake impact my future opportunities, and is there anything I can do to mitigate its effects? Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.

-also I am in the Uk

3 Comments
 

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