Career Advice. Please help :(
Hi all,
First time poster here and I will try to be short as possible. I am 23 right now. So I graduate from UK University of Strathclyde Glasgow ( Joint Hons in Finance and Marketing) and then got a job in Morgan Stanley Glasgow ( middle office operations job). I am happy with my job but the pay is pretty bad.
I have been looking to get in better roles in the Financial Industry. From my research it seems like Private Equity is best thing because of the pay and the more normal working hours when compared to Investment Banking, but it seems like I do not have at all the background to get into PE and chances are less than 1%.
What do you think is my best option for my future career so I can maximize my income in the future? I have read getting into Corporate Development, Investment Banking or Venture Capital can be a way to get into PE, but from all the stuff I have been reading it seems likes it I have little chances getting into these as well.
I was thinking of getting CFA exams and/or Masters Degree or a MBA. Basically I am open to any options so I can earn more money in the financial industry.
Please help.
Thanks
Hi,
I have the similar situation as u. Not middle office but not a core business group. Looking to jump to more investments/financial analysis side of things. Already planning on taking CFA but would wait to do MBA since it requires more work experience and also expensive. Would like to see what advice do people have here and also love to connect with you.
Best
Yeah, I just kinda got depressed by looking at all the requirements to get into the more important roles. It just felt like I already have no chance no matter what I do.
Guys, step up, networking is the key if you are good at it. If not, you do not always have to start from the role you really want to get, just start from a regular clerk and work your way out, old but gold and always work. CFA still will land you a better job and this is not as time consuming as finishing MBA so I would suggest to do it at least for personal knowledge. Wish you all the best and good luck. There are probably going to be better suggestions than mine so I will subscribe to the thread
Hi, thanks for the advice. What jobs will the CFA get me , and should I try to get all levles ?Again I was reading on it and it seemesed people suggested that it will not help you that much because a lot of people have it already. Again I felt like I am just too late to the party. Can you link me any articles on networking that you felt helped you a lot ? I just thought that there is not much point in networking if my CV is not impressive, but if you believe it will help me out I will give it a shot as I am open to any ideas.
Thanks again
With CFA you can already try to enroll in to IB if that is where you want to go. Level 2 is a must though and I do not think that Level 3 exam will mean much for you at least in the beginning, With this certificate you prove that you are really interested in finances and know what is up, which gives you a great advantage against those who are just trying their luck or fresh out of the university. I have not really read any articles on networking, I was doing it without even knowing that there is even a such term, I was simply interested in people and their job positions and I showed real passion I guess. In reality I have never met them in person and some were even from other branches outside of the country which actually landed me a job offer in my hometown in future. I guess that depends on which country you are from, probably what I was doing was not that popular in northern Europe and people were very open about their doings. I believe WSO have helpful guides somewhere but unfortunately I am not able to vouch for them as I have never read them.
Thanks for the advice Latvian, I will sign up for CFA this week. My ultimate goal is PE, because I read that it offers the best pay and everything about PE sounds pretty exciting to me, but I heard you have to go through investment banking to even have a small chance. That is why I figured I will need to go there first. Again thanks for the advice, and if you have any more I will be happy to hear them :)
Always push yourself harder... cfa, financial modeling, industry knowledge (rear equity research, 10-K), etc... something will come out of it for sure... There are plenty of PEs and family offices you have never heard with a decent pay. Money is like energy never disappears. PS At my 23 I was ready to do everything for little pay=almost free, when I landed a job offer with a Big4 in Moscow I was very happy. Is MS's pay so bad in Glasgow?
I get paid 20k Pounds per year, after tax about 18k£, so really that good. My girlfriend works in a supermarket and earns almost as much as me. The only reason I am staying is because MS looks really good on your CV, but because it is operations I do not think it will do me any good if I try mu luck with PE. I am trying to move to a Finance Role in MS, but my focus now is to pursue getting into PE.
When you mentioned financial modeling, industry knowledge and the others - are you talking about certain certificates or just general knowledge ? I know for financial modelling CFI has a good certification. However, as I will be getting these while I am working full time I can really only focus on one. Which one do you think I should focus on ? I have heard that CFA is the most recognizable and respactable internationally, so that is why I wanted CFA.
Thanks Vitaly
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