Should I accept my internship at FINRA even if it's not what I want to do?

Hey all,

I recently received an offer from FINRA for market regulation (20/hr + relocation costs for the summer). I am late to the game and am glad to have an offer, but given that it doesn't fit my ideal career path I am curious to accept it.

I'm a junior at a semi-target with a 3.4 in economics +second unrelated major. I have previous internship experience that is unrelated to finance (marketing/business development) with some club experience directly related. My ideal careers would be along the line of 1. public market investing/trading (AM, ER, such) 2. VC/IB/PE type finance 3. Consulting and related finance.

I realize that I am not in an ideal situation which does make the safety seem appealing. I have until Monday to respond.

To complicate the matter I have two interviews this Friday for a REIT and for wealth management. I would prefer the REIT given that the skills of working with MBSs are a lot more aligned with what I like and am good at while the wealth management job looks boring.

My questions are:
1. Would you recommend rejecting the offer in search of greener pastures?
2. How can I best use my existing offer to speed up the process in my other interviews?
3. Does FINRA do anything to aid my chances in FT recruiting for any finance fields that I would rather break into?
4. In the case that I have the wealth management offer vs FINRA, which would be more conductive to my future goals?

Thanks a lot.

 

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