Measly Chimp Looking For Advice
Hello all, first time poster here. Currently, I am a first year casualty underwriter analyst at a large corporate insurance firm. I "fell" into insurance with the help of my brothers (one a actuary, one a big time team manager). Growing up, I was always on the path to success: high grades in hard classes, playing sports, popular, volunteer service. Yet when I got to college (a non-target, "little Ivy, good reputation with strong alumni and rigid coursework), I was basically focused on nothing but partying, boozing, and chasing girls. I "woke up" after two years of losing track and not preparing for life after college. Although I am getting good pay and am not facing any demanding work, I hate my job. There is a lack of competition and the pace is so slow. I know my boss makes really good money but he is a company man that has been there for decades and I can't sleep at night thinking about staying at this same spot for my entire life. I had an internship as a equities researcher at a Wealth Management firm and that is what I absolutely loved. I've spent a lot of time coming up with an action plan to switch into corporate finance but would love to hear what you all have to say. I think I am shot with banking but seeing this is the most popular forum on this site, I thought I'd post here.
First, I am trying to position myself for a new desk at my current job within financial lines insurance in order to get some relevant work experience. For those who don't know, financial lines deal with PE and Hedge Funds to cover liabilities for Directors and Officers, Fiduciary responsibility, and errors/omissions. Its enough to be in the conversation with people who are in banking and finance roles. The advice I am seeking from you guys is what I should do to gain actual credibility for interviews:
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Go for it big with studying for the CFA. I've spoken to a lot of people who have done this and they say it showed employers how committed they were.
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Enter the Georgetown Online Masters in Finance. Was wandering what the actual reputation of a program like this is. I've seen older posts from here regarding online programs as jokes but was thinking the reputation has changed over the years, especially with COVID Zoom Classes taking over.
If there are any other paths you guys suggest that would be awesome. In terms of networking, I have a lot of contacts through close family relationships and good family-friends who would definitely give me a shot. I am really committed to making this change and hope you guys can help. Please don't hold back, appreciate it.
