From Law to Finance. Advice Needed

Heres the deal, I have 1 month remaining of my UG education and I intend to pursue a career in finance. However, I have only developed this idea within the last 2ish months. Essentially, I spent the last 4 years preparing for a career in law. I majored in Economics, Spanish and Chemistry (if anyone is wondering about this seemingly odd combination, this set of majors was focused on LSAT prep and my desire to practice patent law), I took the LSAT, and did internships related to law etc. This process was a smashing success and it peaked as I opened my letter of acceptance to University of Chicago Law.

 I really thought my decision was sealed. I would attend a top five law school and take on my childhood dream with ease. However, every time I actually thought about a career in law I was filled with immense dread. I have been filled with these thoughts for a few years now, I just never wanted to address them. Long story short, I am not going to put myself through this when its something that I know will pain me for the remainder of my life. 

 Now this is where it got complicated. I had no backup plan, so I began to research and finance seemed to be the most appealing option. Specifically, <abbr title="investment banking">IB</abbr> or consulting. As such, I shifted my focus and began this pursuit at full steam. Though it was not long until I realized these problems: I have 0 finance internship experience, I went to "Jackoff Liberal Arts University" in the midwest, my network is composed of primarily law related individuals, and my current summer internship is as a law clerk. 

 Now the sky is not completely falling. I will graduate with around a 3.8 GPA, I am not completely mentally handicapped (well I base this on my LSAT score of 176, maybe I actually am), and I really do believe that I have a great ability to learn. But my next steps are not clear. Do I just get an MBA? Should I get some experience next fall at a bank in my area? Ultimately, I am willing to pretty much do anything to be successful. I will read, take courses, have informational meetings etc. Whatever it takes I want to commit my time moving forward to being successful. So please, if you have any advice or recommendations I would greatly appreciate it.
1 Comments
 

Qui voluptatem odio odit ut. Excepturi sapiente numquam blanditiis sit molestias est. Est veritatis eum molestias officiis.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 11 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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

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...”