Need Some Advice - Graduated in December 2012

Thank God Its Monday, WSO! haha hope all of you are doing well. Have been seeing quite a few posts regarding reasons/situations where pursuing an MSF makes sense. I have recently been contemplating it and want to summarize my situation as best as possible, and ask a few questions about my next steps.

In case the details/background are too long, my experience on WSO has provided me with the sense to put a "TLDR" version at the bottom.

Background:

-Graduated in December 2012 from a very, very, very (very) Non-Target in Central Florida; 3.34 GPA/ 3.60 Major GPA in Finance & Economics; DII Athlete and 3 year captain - won various awards academically and athletically; Was a Macroeconomic Theory Tutor for the entire department for adult learners; Member of Athletic Council and "Finance Club" (complete joke); Had 3 decent (shitty compared to most of the experience people have on here) internships --> Private Wealth with UBS, A Renewable Petroleum Energy Startup, and business sales/brokerage.

-September 2012: Family has been affected in a major way by Cancer and I was presented with the opportunity to apply for a program called the 4k for Cancer, a cross-country bike ride to raise funds/awareness for the Ulman Cancer Fund. Long story short--> I spend December 2012 to June 2nd working 40 hours a week, studying for the CFA LI June exam, and training to bike 4300 miles across the U.S while raising money and carrying out leadership duties which were assigned to me

-Ride finishes August 18th in San Diego, CA. I get back to the East Coast in Late August and immediately start the Job Search, Networking, Studying for this December's CFA Level I (failed in June), and went back to working at my part time job just to have some income while living at home and waiting for my student-loans to come off of deferment.

-To really complicate things, after finishing the ride I began having sever shooting pains stemming from my lower back and going into my leg. My lower back, sciatic nerve and what felt like my hammy got progressively worse so I finally saw a sports doctor, neurologist, the whole nine yards. I found out in late september that i have 2 herniated discs and a pinched nerve which has been causing a whole host of issues. I was forced to leave my part time job because it required too much physical activity, and have been rehabbing my back 3 days a week, continuing to study for the CFA LI, and somewhat blindly sending out as many applications as I can.

-In terms of my job search--> Coming from the school I graduated from and my GPA, its been an uphill battle because it is a small southern school, not many alumni, and I'm almost certain there are zero working on Wall Street. The cold emails and calls I made resulted in 3 or 4 informational interviews which were a huge benefit and definitely shaped my perspective/understanding of the industry more. I met with a few Bankers, a big-name Strategist, and had a few phone calls with other professionals. A few of those interviews went very well, but I was either told that the firm was only looking for "experienced hires" or they would submit my resume to HR but warned me, for example, "My HR lady is kinda crazy. She went to Georgetown, and let's just say she LOVES Ivy-Leaguers".

I was only able to get a few offers in sales positions, with non-finance related companies and fields. The positions were not even remotely interesting and I am hoping to break into something more intellectual, like ER/AM or a some type of Investment Management field, more so than Banking.

So that's kinda where I am at now. I have a few questions related to next steps, CFA/MSF, and the industry that I thought you all might be able to answer better having the details on my background...

Given that my only real experience related to the industry is in Internships, I feel like I am at a very important decision making point because, like everyone else on here, I am setting my goals high. I initially embarked on the CFA route for two reasons: To obviously pass it, prove my knowledge, and hopefully "level the playing field" in terms of the job market competition in ER/AM. So basically to look better to employers. The second reason was to avoid the costs of pursuing a MSF.

1. Does pursuing the CFA take the place of an MSF? Basically, would having both be a waste of time?

2. Because I will not likely even become a CFA charter holder for another, 4-6 years depending on work experience, does pursuing the MSF make sense?

3. Will having a lack of experience set me back even further if I start on the MSF route, given that I will come out with a MSF but still be in the same boat experience wise, or do the opportunities for internships during and after MSF outweigh this?

4. In many of the ER/AM jobs I've applied to, they specifically state that they would "Prefer" someone who has passed CFA Level I and is working towards progress on the Charter. How much will passing Level I open up doors for me?

As of right now, I have people close to me and friends saying that they believe that Investment Banks and firms in the industry will start to hire more, post-holidays and during the January to early Spring time frame. I've been told that once my back recovers, I should pursue any position to get my foot in the door, such as operations and even back-office contract type jobs.

1.What are your thoughts on this advice?

I'm tempted to take the first position that comes my way...even if it is sales/non-finance related or a 6-month contract. My thoughts are that once I get into a position in NYC (I live about an hour north), I will be making money, meeting people, and having the chance to Network my way into ER/AM or a position that I actually desire. Hopefully by late January I can leverage the having passed CFA Level I into a job.

Hopefully this wasn't too long. Thanks again WSO.

**TLDR: Graduated December 2012; Spent Dec 2012 to June 2013 working part-time gig non-finance related, raising money, and prepping for a cross-country charity bike ride from June to end of Aug. 2013; Since returning have been rehabbing a back injury, studying for CFA Level I, and looking for a position in ER/AM, but really anything finance related; Looking for questions answered surrounding CFA/MSF (See questions above)