Nontraditional Background Trying to Break Into Finance — What Am I Missing?

I wanted to make this post because I’m at the point in my job search where I feel like I need honest advice from people in the industry.

My background is a little nontraditional kind of. I graduated from a top ivy doing Economics, then completed an MBA with a finance concentration. I also played hockey at both schools and played professionally after.

Now trying to break into finance full-time, ideally in the banking world to develop a strong foundation of technical skills, targeting NYC companies 

I do have finance intern experience. I interned in wealth management last year, and also had interned at a hedge fund my sophomore year, doing proprietary research shadowing proprietary research expert calls, writing summaries, and worked on stock pitch/research work.

The hard part has been that I’m not a current undergrad recruiting through a traditional pipeline, and I also don’t have 1–2 years of full-time banking experience. I feel like I’m caught somewhere in the middle.

I’ve been networking, applying to analyst roles, reaching out to alumni and people in the industry, and trying to position my background the right way. I know my path is different, but I genuinely believe I would be a good hire if I get the right opportunity.

I’m not looking for sympathy — I’m looking for real advice.

For people in this world:

What types of roles should someone with my background be targeting?

Are there specific groups or firms that are more open to nontraditional candidates?

Would I be better off pursuing corporate banking/credit/valuation first and then trying to move closer to IB or private credit later?

Are there any specific resume/networking/interview angles that would make me more competitive?

I’d appreciate any honest advice, even if it’s blunt. I’m trying to figure out the most realistic path forward and would be grateful for advice from people who have seen nontraditional candidates break in.