SMB Valuation to MM IB?

Hey everyone! I haven’t posted here in a few years, so I might be a bit out of the loop.

After finishing my master’s program, I took a job in a small-to-medium-sized business valuation firm, primarily working on fair market valuations for gift & estate, litigation, and transactional purposes for companies ranging from $100k - $20m enterprise value. I just hit my 2.5-year work anniversary, and now my boss wants me to get my CVA certification so I can start selling business valuations.

The thing is, I’m feeling stuck. I took this job to gain experience with the goal of lateraling into an Analyst 1 role, but life happened, and I’ve stayed longer than expected. Now, I’m seriously considering making a move to a lower MM shop and seeing through these valuation transactions more.

What’s the best way to go about this? Should I focus on networking and building relationships (and if so, how do I avoid making it feel like I’m just using connections for a job)? Or should I be more direct and ask if they’re hiring? The firm I’m interested in doesn’t have a direct connection to me, and from what I can tell, they mostly hire from a specific school in the area. Any advice?

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