Post-grad career path recommendations

Hey guys, (apologize for length in advance) So here's my current situation. I graduated from a larger, well known private school in May with decent GPA (3.3) and have been networking/interviewing full time since. Have had Financial Analyst interviews and a few IB Analyst interviews along the way but deferred the Financial Analyst offers due to low-salary. Most recent IB interview with a boutique bank went well through initial rounds, however, turned south during "super-day" due to my knowledge of the technicals being in a more robotic sense. I am lacking an understanding of the underlying meanings behind the technicals for scenario based questions. That being said, I see two options going forward:
Open to any & all other suggestions

Option 1: Pursue an FP&A Analyst position to begin my career ASAP and try to develop my technical skills in my free time (immediate work experience, but much slower skill development process). Option 2: Immediately focus the next 1-2 months towards studying/programs to gain a deeper understanding of the technicals necessary for where I want to be (Including mock interviews and additional modeling practice to improve efficiency), then begin the IB interviewing process again with a much more solid understanding of the information.

Basically, the gap between graduation and now is getting quite significant. Is it best to bite the bullet, accept something that isn't exactly where I want to be and try to develop my skills over the next 6 months or so? Or will extending this gap in my career to focus on developing these skills before returning to the process hurt my chances in the eyes of an employer too significantly to be worth it?

2 Comments
 

rmhorn212, have you checked out these or run a search:

  • Off The Beaten Path: Commercial Banking to Private Equity (The Non-Traditional Route) there's a good chance that your on-the-job skills aren't going to be enough to get you the job you ... skill for any analyst/associate role at a private equity firm is good modeling skills. To offset my ... self-taught modelling got me through was a huge boost to my technical confidence! Also, WSO's PE ...
  • Received offer for boutique IB west coast for post-grad, aiming for BB's for SA 2018, but not sure about career path, thoughts? path forward. My solution I'm torn between trying to stake it into in PWM, sticking with the ... boutique investment bank and going that route, OR jumping into trading. My goal with PWM would be to build ... BB, MM, and beginning to apply to boutique ib internships for summer 2018. Also, looking into S&T. ...
  • Hedge Fund Careers: Getting a Hedge Fund Job Out of Undergrad and Beyond A career in the hedge fund industry is one of the most desirable careers in finance. Money is ... undoubtedly the greatest attraction to careers with hedge funds, with analysts making $150k and then some. ... the optimal career trajectory for so many. Hedge Fund Lifestyle and Wages The job rests significantly ...
  • Career Path to become a Real Estate Developer Is there any way I can jump into real estate development with my civil engineering background and ... path to take to get into real estate development or to get accepted into an MBA/MSRED program? As far ... for a civil firm? Overall, the end goal is being a developer. So what's the best career path ...
  • Is the CFO Route a Rewarding One? career path may or may not be for some of you. CFO route to Saturday, July 28, 2018- 3:55am ... but mostly because the family lives very modestly... hell, the dad drives a Ford into work every day. ... I asked my friend what the dad's path was to CEO, and he said that his dad was the CFO of the company ...
  • Asset Management: Portfolio Manager Career Path? a solid career choice. So I wanted to know what is the usual career path to become a portfolio manger at ... the buyside. Hedge Fund Interview Prep Course bonuses Salary BlackRock Pimco Career Path ... manger at these places? How to Become a PM? While there is no straight forward path to becoming ...
  • Breaking into buy-side equity research- my experience research." I came in knowing that sell-side research is likely the best way to break into buy-side research, ... for your contact. Really get into the heart of their culture and the way they do things. Obviously you ... investor more than your technical knowledge and excel modeling skills; generalist shops always conduct ...
  • More suggestions...

If we're lucky, the following pros may have something to say: @Hunter-Harrison1" BlueNeon @JR_93"

Hope that helps.

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