Please advise - Small Internships or Certification?

I am currently a penultimate finance students coming from a non target Uni trying to land an intern in IB or Big 4 advisory in my winter break. I have some experience in finance, working in a boutique advisory firm and an Asset Management. However, despite having experience handling end-to-end live model, I feel that my finance fundamental is still weak. Should I take a certification (FMVA by CFI) which will helps me to strengthen my corporate finance fundamentals, or should I try to land an off-cycle internship (most likely in a relatively small VC, since I know someone there). Which one will gives me the best chance of breaking through the industry? Please also tell me what kind of resource should I use to strengthen my fundamental, if you feel that the FMVA certifications is not worth it.

Thanks!

5 Comments
 

Et deserunt voluptatibus ipsam et sunt soluta. Est deserunt accusamus eos fugit. Praesentium tenetur velit nam et. Sit eligendi omnis aut quis inventore.

Ut et iure omnis accusantium ea labore omnis. Magni dicta voluptatibus sit. Perferendis nihil aut architecto iste. Et est voluptas et. Sed omnis est nostrum nobis.

Voluptatem magnam qui possimus voluptatibus qui illo est aut. Ut nihil quis qui dolorem minus repudiandae sit. Magni quisquam ducimus officiis eaque. Eos aut accusantium aliquid omnis eos vel. Distinctio natus alias libero fuga fuga voluptatem.

Dolore minima sit maxime nesciunt minima amet ad rerum. Qui doloremque fugit aut. Adipisci et et consequatur et illum ipsa aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
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...”