Time to just take a job?

Havent been around here terribly long which is probably why I'm in this situation. I grew up in the Northern plains, a long ways away from the world of finance on Wall Street. Going through college I became more and more interested in high finance but really wasn't sure which niche I wanted. Graduated in May of 2012 from a non target with a 3.4 GPA in Finance but didn't have anything lined up. Took the CFA and passed Level 1 in June because I want to someday become a PM.

Upon graduation and going thru the endless job hunt I'm having a hard time finding something to get me on the the right track to a buyside role someday. Recently decided that really I should be doing investment banking to put me on that track but of course it's a little too late. Interviewed at a boutique in the Midwest (where I really want to be) but didn't make it past 2 of the 3 rounds despite what I thought was a good interview day.

Now I find myself possibly getting an offer for commercial/corporate banking for a credit analyst type training program at a large global bank where they lend only to technology start ups (I'm sure a quick google and you can figure out who this is).

Do you have any advice for my situation? Should I take the offer and do the training program then do MBA and try to leverage experience for an Associate role? Maybe this position isn't as bad as a start for my career as I think? Any advice is appreciated.

 

Take the job. If it's SVB or someone similar, it will be a good opportunity to learn about the tech sector and build a network. It's not a great track to becoming a PM, but it could lead to other opportunities. You could possibly also lateral to a boutique IB after a year or two. I am aware of someone who made that switch.

 

Also in a similar situation as yours, except I'm graduating soon and I just signed a return offer for my MO SA.

On one hand, it's good to have an offer locked down, but it's not ideally where I want to be. Guess it's all part of the journey.

 
Best Response

At this point you're not really in a position to pick and choose. Take the job and go from there. The longer you're in unemployment, the harder it will be to find any kind of job, let alone a decent one. The CFA does look good though. I'd take the job, network and leverage that CFA and maybe after a couple years there go get that MBA and it's a whole new ballgame. CFA+MBA+2 years experience will put you in a good position.

 

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