Starting to Lose Faith (Pick-me-up/Advice?)

Hey everyone,

Decided to stop being just a lurker because I feel the need for some kind of advice, just not sure what advice I need (go figure).

Background (TL;DR: Recently refound passion for investing and started process for CFA while finishing up school, school focuses on STEM and hates finance) I always had a passion for investing and markets since I was young when I saw an article about hedge funds while waiting for a flight. Eventually, as I got older, I was pushed by guidance councilors into studying STEM. I tried this for awhile but hated it and decided I wanted to move back to where my passions were, except now because I was a bit older than my collegiate peers due to life circumstances, so I switched to accounting to be 'safe.' This past Spring my wife convinced me that I should not play it safe since I'm relatively young and should follow my true dreams now. In doing this, even if I crash and burn I have time to recover to my fallback option. So with that I switched focuses within my major (Senior, very small STEM focused school) back to investing and registered for the CFA Level I exam this coming December.

With that out of the way, my worries are plentiful: -My GPA is terrible due in large part to some negative life choices when I first entered school -My school provides virtually 0 support for finance students -My city (Baltimore) isn't exactly known for having a large HF footprint

Obviously, I've joined the CFA society so when events start coming up I intend to attend as many as I can to help network, but ultimately will this help get a job as an analyst in other states? I'm worried that with the combination of not knowing anyone in the industry coupled with my poor GPA my chances are zero for finding work anywhere. So I ask, am I totally screwed? Any advice or pick-me-ups?

Thanks friends.

4 Comments
 

ok so from my understanding you go to a small school that focuses in STEM where you had a low GPA throughout and as a Senior you decided to switch majors to accounting and then again to finance? What has your GPA been like since you switched to accounting? How many more years of schooling do you need to do now that you've switched majors?

At this point focus on passing level 1 of the CFA. Once that happens then I would start looking/applying to jobs.

 

Well accounting at my school gets lumped into general finance, so switching focuses from accounting to investment tracks only required me to take a couple different electives this year that I would have otherwise been using on Advanced Underwater Basket Weaving.

I actually am in my 5th year now so I'll be done this time next year (I planned my schedule around the needed 150 credit hours for the CPA exam once I switched) but my GPA been remarkably higher. This past semester I pulled 4 A's and a B, all A's in accounting courses and I think only 3 C's since I switched.

Hoping for hedge life.
 

Focus on your achieving your dream. Specifically, the dream where you realise you have come to school naked and are being chased down the hall by a giant block of cheese.

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.
 
Best Response

Modi sed maxime a animi in. Consectetur eos quia consequuntur neque voluptatum. Ea corporis aut debitis minus unde suscipit omnis provident. Est occaecati ut quas. Molestiae nam aut ipsum minus nulla fuga. Maiores voluptate non eaque eius quos et veritatis sed. Quis autem asperiores eligendi nam excepturi reprehenderit voluptatibus.

Est quis est soluta aut in animi sint. Id et aut quae consequuntur optio et quis. Aut ut doloremque magnam quis dolores ea quidem. Corrupti qui quaerat nisi.

Est dolorem quo voluptate alias quaerat ipsa. Earum corrupti iure ex incidunt eos hic. Cumque rerum unde in accusantium qui voluptates.

Voluptatem consequuntur ab atque deleniti odio aut ut. Facilis voluptas est qui sint voluptates veritatis consequuntur. Quasi sed distinctio fugit ipsum et sunt in. Animi ipsam cum voluptatibus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”