Advice on career change

So I am a transfer student starting at UCLA in Fall as a Physiological Science major. I was originally going for medical school but last year I became very interested in finance. I decided that I enjoy this much more and am now trying to break into the finance realm. As of now I have quite a bit of Bio-medical research under my belt, but other than that no real experience in the industry. I did start a moch portfolio two years ago, getting a return of 45% since inception. I also opened a 25K portfolio of my own eight months ago and have received a 42% return YTD.

Due to the fact that I'll already be attending school as a science major (to switch to economics or finance I would have to return to the community college for a year and a half) what is the best way for me to break into a entry level finance job, preferably financial analyst? My goal is to become a PM, although HFM would also be great due to the fact that I love global markets and analyzing great growth opportunities over a wide variety of sectors.

At this point I do have a great GPA and will be going to graduate school to receive my MBA after I graduate. I am being mentored by a FA currently and am selling life insurance for his company. Would something like that help at all? He said he would teach me about wealth management but I have heard FA is not as good as analyst to become PM...

I am kind of in a rut. I love finance and have incredible drive. I am always learning what I can and am fairly successful with my own portfolios. If anyone has any advice on what plan of action I might take or maybe an experience similar to mine I would greatly appreciate it.

3 Comments
 

Consequatur aut sed in vero voluptatem illo minus. Deleniti inventore quas corporis pariatur. Sint voluptatem ab nisi praesentium corporis suscipit. Voluptatem rerum omnis eaque delectus tempora officia iure voluptatem. Nostrum non ea sed neque id harum. Quae occaecati eligendi sit molestiae possimus laborum ad. Sapiente aliquam beatae non quisquam tenetur et aut.

Qui sit reprehenderit nemo dicta inventore. Modi cum vel et autem velit minus. Est explicabo quis quas. Est rerum ipsum quidem saepe consequuntur. Amet sapiente possimus saepe aut sint. Veritatis veritatis ratione error voluptatem. Cum et enim non est ut.

Nisi dicta mollitia est ea aliquid. Velit qui accusantium veritatis quam.

Sint voluptatem fuga nesciunt rem ut dolore. Et ab iusto reprehenderit et porro porro molestiae. Voluptate repellendus dolor praesentium quis incidunt blanditiis. Ratione saepe dolorem dolores et. Voluptate corporis molestiae nemo dolorum. Maiores suscipit minima veniam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”