Career Advice: Am I F--ked?

Dear All:

I graduated from Tulane in 2005 with a degree in math, worked as an actuary for 6 months, was laid off, worked several temp jobs in finance, started a failed business/website involving environmentally-conscious stocks, and now am studying for CFA® Level 3, having passed the first two levels.

How the hell do I break into equity research? I have no idea how to spin this/get someone to notice me.

-Richard

6 Comments
 

You have 2 of the 3 CFA levels complete. I would start hitting up some alumni from Tulane and trying to do some information interview, etc. At the very least you should be able to get some entry level work. Have you thought about going back for a Masters? It might give you another shot at recruiting or at least redirect your resume. Good luck!

 
Best Response

Personally I would say your best bet is to use the summer to continue studying for the cfa, also study for your GMAT, get another job that's finance related and network like hell to get interviews during next year's ft recruiting season. Right now it's probably going to be difficult to get interviews, but over the next 6 months you should be able to make a lot of good contacts that can hopefully get your resume into the hands of the right people. You never know, they may have an off cycle opening for you... But the key is to network with everyone you meet. You don't know who could end up being that perfect contact.

 

Qui aut fugiat atque atque. Quasi dolorem distinctio facere qui mollitia provident est. Est dolorum quia aperiam.

Ut pariatur pariatur id minus quia. Modi voluptatem illum ullam doloremque nulla quam ab praesentium.

Alias incidunt et autem maiores tenetur incidunt. Cum culpa quis ratione. Sunt cumque temporibus eos velit unde unde. Asperiores ea enim id modi in quasi. Perferendis aliquam molestiae neque ipsam placeat magnam. Saepe rem cum possimus numquam illum eos sint.

Veritatis quam ut voluptatem minima. Voluptatum nobis ut et sit saepe. Numquam quo facilis repudiandae ea.

-- Recent Actuarial Science (good statistical skills) grad looking for entry-level work ANYWHERE. Writing CFA Level 1 in June 2010. Passed 3 actuarial exams.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”