Inspirational Career Switch Story

Hey WSO,

I wanted to share an inspiring career switch story for anyone out there feeling like they’ve missed the boat. Going to anonymise as much as possible because I respect the man.

I know a guy who used to work as an officer in a non-finance sector (think Chemicals, O&G, Manufacturing) roughly 7-10 YoE in a South Asian country (Japan/Korea/Vietnam). He was in his late 20s, feeling like he was stuck in an industry that wasn't what he wanted for his long-term career.

Instead of just settling, he took a chance—enrolled in an online degree while working full-time. That online degree helped him open the door to a target school in the UK. Yep, despite starting later than most, he got into a solid target and did spring weeks at around 28 (most people doing this are at 19, so you can imagine the difference).

But here’s the kicker—he absolutely crushed it, didn’t let the age gap or background hold him back, and landed a conversion offer for a Markets Summer Analyst role at a top balance sheet bank (JPM/HSBC/BNPP). Pretty sure he speaks broken english as well. Yet theres kids out here from priveleged backgrounds with trust funds crying about the competition (think bradpitt / giveadvicepls)

So if you’re out there thinking you’re too old or too late to break into finance, or even just to change your career in general. It's never too late, and there's always a path forward if you're willing to put in the work and take some risks.

Persistence is everything. He went from working in an unrelated field to landing a job in finance, at around 30, with a top bank. So, if he can do it, so can you. Keep grinding. It’s never over until you decide it is.

Remember Anon, Never kill yourself.