How to switch to IBanking/ER from the bio-pharmaceutical industry?

I graduated Princeton a few months ago with a degree in molecular biology with a 3.76 GPA. Currently, I work in R&D at Pfizer - a combination of laboratory work, biostatistics, etc. While the job is pretty good, there is little upward mobility without an advanced degree. Also, the extremely long time (10+ years) it takes to develop a drug (with most failing along the way) is a big turnoff.

Anyway, I was wondering if it was possible to make the transition to either healthcare/natural resources/technology banking or equity research. The absolute killer is that I have graduated and have no finance internship experience. I was an officer in a few finance/entrepreneurship clubs and took a fair number of econ classes, although I doubt that counts for anything.

I realize its going to be extremely difficult at this point. I have signed up for the December CFA exam. Hopefully, I can pass to show I have some capacity to learn finance.

What would you recommend? Should I stay in biotech/pharma for 3-4 years and get an MBA? Is it possible to switch fields at this point? If it is, how would i go about doing it?

Thank you.

3 Comments
 

Can't speak to IB, but as someone in healthcare ER I think you would have a great chance to make the move after passing L1. I did pretty much the same thing and also graduated from an ivy.

 

Hic sunt in officia a delectus. Dignissimos praesentium ducimus quas exercitationem.

Quisquam commodi et fuga sed eos porro. Aliquam possimus dolor totam dolores. Provident sapiente consequatur eum ut qui id.

Illo in doloribus ut velit voluptatem odit. Laborum quasi error ipsa aut fuga. Ut dolor sint illum. Sit id ipsum sit praesentium nihil. Doloremque quos omnis iure nulla et.

Ut doloremque natus voluptatem commodi perferendis. Ipsum eius dolor et vel qui maiores. Rerum dolorum voluptate eum consequatur commodi. Veniam similique sit voluptatem harum porro repudiandae. Dolorem aut accusantium ullam laudantium aut aperiam velit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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

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...”