Career advice for a hard working mom!
Hello all,
I spent a good amount of hours searching the forums for an answer... didn't get any and decided to ask you for help.
My case is very peculiar... I have a previous career in the medical field (optometry) - It was not my thing, always hated. After getting married and having 2 kids, decided to go back to school and do something that I really like: FINANCE
I was pursuing a Finance major at the University of Michigan, my husband got a new job in NC and had to transfer to UNC. Now, I am a Senior. My GPA is 4.0. I am very involved in my campus, I am the President of the Investment Club. I am an adult student (36 yo), very smart, hard worker, but don't have any professional experience in Finance yet. I am currently applying for internships for the Spring and Summer semesters.
Here is my question: where I should be looking/applying?? We live in a small city in the Triad (Greensboro) and I don't have all the options you guys talk about here like NY. I don't have the pretension of working in IB, actually I am more focused in Corporate Finance, basically because of the balance in lifestyle (remember: mom, older, 2 kids). However, I believe I have the potential of working for a major company/bank.
I would like to get recommendations of careers path - where should I get my internships? Which areas?? I received an invitation for the Wells Fargo Financial Analyst program, is this a good opportunity to pursue? Sorry, but I got to a point where I am completely lost! Help this hard working mommy to become a successful finance professional!! ;)
You have an interesting story, I would try to highlight the medical background to the extent you can, as that shows you're sharp.
Financial advisor is a fine career, but Wells Fargo is in a tough place with that division right now. With a 4.0 from Ross(?) and an explainable transfer to UNC (Chapel Hill or elsewhere?) you can aim higher. I would look into private wealth management at any of the large banks. It gets some hate on WSO because it's not as ritzy and prestigious as IB, but given that you are looking for lifestyle and not megafund exits, it's a great balance on the hours, can make very good money, and an interesting career. You're a senior now, so ideally your internship would have been this previous summer, but at 36 I think you may get a pass on that. If you're at Kenan-Flagler, there should be some decent on campus recruiting, networking events, online applications, etc.
Hi Eloquence, thank you for replying. No, unfortunately I am not going to UNC Chapel Hill... I got accepted there, but we live very close to UNC at Greensboro and the commute would be crazy for me. I never thought about PWM before... very interesting suggestion! I have a big Merril Lynch office nearby, I am going to try some network at college for an internship. I have the first round of interview at Wells Fargo tomorrow... let's see how it goes. Please, feel free to land any other suggestions! Thanks ;)
From Ross to UNC? PWM might be a good career to look at with your circumstances. If you build your book to $150MM you can make $500k a year, and only work 30-40 hours a week, and even if you're at a nontarget (assuming not Chapel Hill). I applaud you for having a 4.0 while have so much going on in your life. Keep working at it and I'm sure you'll find something you love.
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