Found out I will be let go in the near future, first FT job and have no clue what to do.

Hey everyone,

I’m at a bit of a crossroads in my early career and would really appreciate some outside perspective.

Background:

~1.5 years internship at a very large global bank

Currently ~4 months into my first full-time role

Manager just told me they got a senior analyst to replace me (I am a junior)

I have financial support / savings, so short-term income is not a constraint

I recently interviewed for a role at a securitization / structured credit firm, focused on post-issuance asset management (cash flow monitoring, payment waterfalls, documentation, monthly closings, etc.). It’s a very operational role, clearly back/middle office rather than front office.

My dilemma is this:

Option A:
Accept this securitization role as a “bridge”: Pros: stay employed, gain real exposure to structured credit, no resume gap. Cons: significant pay cut, very operational work, fear of getting stuck in back-office roles long term

Option B:
Step away for a few months, move back home, Study seriously for the CFA, Keep applying aggressively to front-office / investment / markets roles, Accept the risk of being unemployed for a while

Context that matters:
In my current job, I’m basically being ignored by my manager (no tasks, no feedback, no learning), which is already pushing me to think about a reset rather than “just surviving” in any role.

My long-term goal is front-office finance (markets, investments, credit, or research), not operations.

So my question to people who’ve been through this:

Is taking an operational structured credit role a smart way to stay close to the market early on?Or does it materially increase the risk of getting typecast into back-office roles? Given that I don’t need income immediately, would you view a short “study + apply” period as reasonable or risky?

I’m trying to make a decision based on long-term trajectory, not short-term fear.

Any honest perspective is appreciated.