Q&A | Incoming Associate, Bulge Bracke, AMA: Career switcher (tech sales/BD → MBA → BB TMT IB), return offer | (6 years in Tech/Accounting)

Hey WSO! I'm hosting a quick Q&A for career switchers. I just wrapped an IB summer associate stint in TMT at a bulge bracket and accepted the full-time return offer, so I'll be starting as an Associate after I finish my MBA.

Brief background:

• Path: non-target US undergrad (D1 athlete, non-finance major) → 6 years in tech sales and business development at SaaS companies, most recently a director-level BD role at an accounting and IPO-readiness advisory firm → T5 MBA → BB TMT summer associate → return offer
• Summer: staffed on five live deals across sell-side M&A, credit financing, and ECM, covering software, cybersecurity, semis, AI/cloud infrastructure, and consumer internet
• Typical summer work: spreading financials and building models, committee materials (credit and equity), buyer and investor materials for sell-sides, positioning decks, plus a buy-side capstone we modeled and defended in front of senior bankers
• Before banking: sourcing new business, running diligence meetings with CFOs and finance teams, building and managing BD teams. Zero formal finance training before b-school.

Happy to answer questions on:

1. Recruiting as a career switcher (networking, the MBA recruiting timeline, superdays)
2. Technical prep when you're coming from a non-finance background
3. What the summer actually looks like day to day, and how to stand out
4. How client-facing and BD experience translates (and where it doesn't)
5. Balancing recruiting with the rest of MBA life

Please leave your questions below.