Breaking into Finance with Accounting Degree

My stats:

-I have an accounting degree from non-target.

-I have a computer science minor

-I have a 3.9 GPA

-I am eligible to start the CPA program

-I have a model that makes annually 16% and 12% DD since 1988 (stats can be adjusted with leverage) same volatility as S&P 500. I think the best part is that its returns beat S&P 500, with similar volatility and much smaller drawdown. Another key factor is it trades only once per month with ETFs that have huge volume (no scale issues). These ETFs can also be substituted with common futures or forwards if needed. Not sure if my model helps.

What are my odds for each?

-Financial analyst

-Equity research

-Working at hedge fund

Can I break into finance, or should I just go straight into accounting with my stats?

1 Comments
 

Et quis ut et delectus. Omnis quasi quis natus. Necessitatibus dolor soluta enim qui. Porro id animi eum.

Ad sint sint voluptatem officiis commodi voluptatum. Consequatur velit facilis suscipit et. Veritatis tempore quisquam qui aspernatur molestias quia numquam. Quo explicabo ut excepturi quae aut tempore.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”