Feel like I'm on the Outside Looking In

Hey, would appreciate some advice. Wondering if too late to go traditional finance route, as junior internship recruiting cycle is already done for the BBs, EBs, and MMs.

Background:

  • Current junior at a target Ivy, majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Financial Engineering, 3.5 GPA.
  • Internships so far have all been software engineering/technical, with some very recognizable names
  • Clubs: quant club, some engineering clubs, no traditional finance clubs

After my tech internships, it's starting to dawn on me that tech lacks a lot of what I'm looking for in a fulfilling career. While I enjoy solving technical problems, the culture can feel isolated and a little internally focused. I've always had an interest in markets, but I also want to be somewhere where there is more human interaction, building relationships, and managing clients moreso than looking at a computer all day. I am into tech, but after doing a little reading it seems like I would enjoy doing TMT banking moreso than a regular tech role. Wondering if my background could get me looked at by TMT IB firms for full-time recruiting, and what I should do from here on out to increase my chances as I've heard full-time recruiting in IB could be very difficult regardless of background. Like everyone else looking to go into IB, I also like that I have good chances of exiting if I realize IB is not the career for me.

Questions:

  1. Realistically, how tough is it to pivot into IB this late without prior finance internships? Is this switch worth making, or would it take years before I could land an IB role?
  2. What should I start doing now in order to make this shift?
  3. Would I need to go to grad school to get a formal finance degree (MBA, MFin?), or can I still pursue this path with my current degree choice?

Any advice/action routes would be appreciated!

1 Comments
 

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