Seeking advice for switching from Software Engineer to IB

Hi all,

Thank you for taking the time.

I am currently a software engineer in west coast and would like to switch career to finance, probably ER. I know this might be very difficult but I still want to give it a try. So I am keen to get some advice from you all before starting my plan.

Background: CS undergrad and grad, mid 30 software engineer, not in a management role, no need for visa sponsorship, non-native speaker. Interested in math/finance. So I took some math/finance basic courses over the past few years. Have a little bit basic knowledge on math/finance and would like to learn more.

I know MBA might be the only way to get into the finance world. But before that, I want to take some math/stat/econ/finance courses to better equip myself as well as making sure this is the right path I want to choose.

So I am planning to take an Econ MA (NYU/Columbia) or MFin or even a post-baccalaureate program (no degree) if I can’t get into the previous two. Then go to MBA. I lean towards Econ MA in NYU because its curriculum is more flexible with less required courses so I can take a lot of courses I want.

Of course the cost is pricy, not just the money, but more importantly, the time. It will take me about 4 years to finish an MA and an MBA. By the time I graduate, I will be almost 40! This is the major concern I have. Will this be a huge obstacle for me to land a job in finance, like almost impossible? Or just I need more effort and eventually I could land on a job? I really don’t want to go to an MBA without having any finance knowledge and not knowing whether this is the right path for me.

I looked through some posts on this forum and found that some people were able to switch their career and get into IB without an MBA. I know these might be special cases and I would not hold any expectation on this. But if any of you have any insight on this, could you shed some light? Will getting an intern when taking the MA degree help me get into a finance position without an MBA?

Thanks for reading this long post. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

5 Comments
 

Why would you want to move from software engineering to equity research? 

 

Est ut dolores quis quae id. Et sit nam earum est aut et quia. Eum eligendi voluptatum in totam provident aut fugiat.

Molestias explicabo doloribus tenetur ea repellendus nihil. Saepe eos exercitationem a ipsam omnis non. Similique porro minima velit dolorem et natus saepe quia. Quasi quas enim autem eos laborum. Rerum repellendus et odit rerum laboriosam.

Inventore totam itaque ad voluptatum consequuntur. Iure et eius cumque dolores nihil.

Omnis eos et nulla et laboriosam sit et. Quo omnis repellendus et sit. Omnis qui voluptas dolorem aut. Qui sint molestiae eos illum sapiente non minus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 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

August 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

August 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

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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

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...”