I graduated with a Finance degree from a non-target school - am I screwed?
Hi guys,
I just graduated from George Mason University with a 3.8 GPA in Finance. I put myself through school, parents didn't help me at all. So because I had to work full time, I have zero internships.
I'm finding it impossible to get a job in Finance anywhere. I can't even get an internship at this point. I do realize that investment banking is an impossible route for me. But I can't even get in as a junior analyst for corporate finance.
My network is non-existent. I am at a loss for what to do.
Should I just give up at this point? I'm resolving to the fact that I made a huge mistake in choosing to major in Finance from a non-target school, and now the ship has sailed and now its too late.
Please, I need some advice. Is there anything I can do? Or is the best option for me to go back to school to obtain a bachelor's in IT?
Keep grinding. If nothing comes up then MFin
Credit Analyst at a commercial bank would be a good route and I'd argue better experience than a lot of corp fin roles.
IMO the mistake wasn't the non target goal or major, it was taking a major that requires direct experience and internships to be successful and not doing internships. Start at the beginning, look for jobs and internships that don't require any experience, and go from there. You're just behind other college grads, not screwed.
Edit: What was your full time work experience? Maybe there's something here you're not playing up correctly.
My full time work experience was as a waiter in a restaurant :(
Before that I worked as a route sales representative for a snack food company.
I don't think I can play either of those up to land an entry level finance role.
did you do any contract work as a sales rep?
Find a regional bank with local offices that offers investment services. They aren't looking for ballers, they can't afford ballers. Just don't get stuck.
Alright listen man, you're not fucked. So this is what you need to do. Step one - go to Linkedin and type "George Mason University Investment" and switch the tab to the people tab. Immediately you will see everyone from George Mason in any remote kind of finance position. Step two - add those mother fuckers, every single one of them. At this point don't worry about being annoying, you need to take any possible networking opportunities possible. Offer to take them out for coffee, do "informational phone calls" (Ask if they'll pass your resume along/if there's anything vacant in their group), and start learning about the markets so you actually seem like you're knowledgable. Do this, and I guarantee you'll get something decent.
What would be the reason to make them want to get coffee with you? Tell them you want to know what it's like working there? What are some other examples?
You want to learn about the industry, you want to get some advice, you want to network. I mean make something up dude. If you want to work in finance learn to bullshit, it's what we do.
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