Australian Navy -> US EB/BB. Advice?

Hi all, I'm a currently serving Australian navy officer looking to break into investment banking in the US in the next 12 months.

A bit about me: I'm now 25, been in the navy about 5 years. I studied a Bachelor of Finance at uni in Australia (converts as 3.75 GPA) but was drawn to service. My job involves advising senior defence leaders on threats and opportunities and I lead a team of 16 on deployments overseas. Looking to move into IB as I am still interested in finance and I want a different challenge and to live overseas (ideally NYC). Plus, I work enough 80-100hr weeks with no WLB as is that I may as well get paid more for it.

I'm looking for advice. Obviously, most analyst recruiting targets uni students or IB-experienced laterals. I'm neither.

I recently took the GMAT and scored 770 and I'll be applying for M7 to start fall 2022. But I think I'd learn more through an analyst program, eg CVP's 3 year program, plus I hear breaking into IB post-MBA without prior experience is even harder. Interested in thoughts on MBA>Associate vs direct to Analyst route for veterans. Any different considerations for internationals?

Cheers

4 Comments
 

Your personal story sounds very interesting. The only comment I can make is, that if you are an Australian citizen (and with your military background, I am assuming that you are), you may qualify for the E-3 visa in the US. It is only for Australian citizens in specialty occupations and who hold an offer of employment from the US.

I'll wait for others to pitch in ideas for getting into the industry.

 

Your only choice is to go do an MBA at an M7 and then recruit for summer associate roles and break in as an associate. Basically impossible to directly recruit for analyst roles since you have no relevant work experience and you’re not coming out of undergrad.

 

Every bank now has a military outreach program. While intended for US veterans, I would expect the program directors would be happy to speak to you about career options and paths. You can find their contact info on their websites.

 

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