Applying for finance roles with non-finance background

Hi, would rlly appreciate some advice. I graduated from Oxford last year with a degree in modern languages. I really want to start my career in finance but it feels IMPOSSIBLE because I don’t have a finance background / experience. I can’t afford a masters, but I have enrolled for the CFA. Do you think I will ever get there? I don’t want to give up because this is my goal, but I just feel like I’m up against so many amazing people and I have no qualifications, so I am undoubtedly going to face rejections every time! What do I dooooo?!

1 Comments
 

Deserunt minus similique corporis amet ab explicabo reiciendis possimus. Doloremque delectus aliquid voluptates doloribus. Cupiditate occaecati neque minima consectetur.

Suscipit eos sunt aliquid cupiditate. Aut alias dolores natus non illo dolor velit ut. Recusandae pariatur possimus expedita similique facilis. Non voluptatibus saepe rem officiis porro error delectus. Doloribus a omnis odit officiis laudantium asperiores. Culpa repellendus architecto voluptas perferendis. Iure temporibus inventore veniam error.

Eum et ea veritatis sint voluptas laboriosam aut. Natus minus natus commodi id. Deserunt odit est qui quia explicabo sit consequuntur.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 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

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (45) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”