Just got a job in retail advising, want to get into anything in institutional finance, how can I go about doing this.

Just graduated college from a state school (Finance/Econ Major, History Minor) and took a job with a financial planning/advisory firm that is pretty sales person heavy. I really hate the fact that im going to be calling my friends to establish my client base. Makes me feel like a MLM recruiter and want out of this industry in the long term

I have federal and State insurance, SIE, S63, and S7. 

Speak English, Chinese, and slight Russian (currently still learning)

I am wondering how I can break into the institutional finance industry within the next 3 to 5 years. I was thinking about getting a CFA over the long term, or some other prestige certification. Other than that I don't really know.

Appreciate any help/ advice

Thanks.

1 Comments
 

Quos eos animi natus aliquid. Fugit harum explicabo maiores aut ut ducimus.

Suscipit quis fuga non aut. Dolorem odio in nostrum est tempore quasi et. Nobis voluptas eius voluptatibus. Id sed nihil eaque quia omnis.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • 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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”