Where do I go from here academically and professionally?
Hi all, hoping someone can provide some guidance on my situation.
I’m graduating next spring with a BBA in Finance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (online). My GPA is 3.84, it should go up a little bit by graduation.
So here is where I’m at. I’ve interviewed for a few corporate finance and financial analyst internships, while I’ve gotten great reviews of my interviews and have made it pass the first few rounds I’ve been getting passed over for candidates with more experience. My only work experiences have been in manufacturing, real estate, insurance sales and mail room positions. Being realistic, in the event I can’t land a summer internship (have about a dozen or so left that are still pending), would graduate school be something I should start to seriously consider now?
The only companies that I am still pending with for internships are Lockheed Martin (general finance) and Morgan Stanley (private wealth management) and a few random companies. Since internships are slated to start in two months, I don’t see many more opportunities being posted (I’ve utilized indeed and glassdoor and LinkedIn the most).
I have a fall co-op lined up with a financial planning firm in the midwest. The firm does not sell any products just financial planning services. I’ve considered a career in wealth management but don’t think I’d do well, I’m ok at prospecting but I don’t have any HNW contacts to pitch to. Also the fail rate is really disconcerting.
Not sure how my job prospects will be upon graduation but if my internship search is any indication its not looking good. I’ve spread out the duration of my undergrad (left and came back after a few years), I don’t feel I really learned any finance concepts in-depth. I’m a hands on learner so studying theory and textbooks really only made me really good at taking tests but applying the knowledge to real world situations is another story. Should I look into MSF programs? Obviously I wouldn’t qualify to pursue an MBA.
I still don’t really know the career path I want to take. I majored in finance since I really enjoy learning it and it holds my attention more compared to other subjects. I like reviewing numerical datasets, financial modeling and financial planning. I like dealing with people just probably won’t excel at hard selling. Like most uneducated money hungry high school students I had a notion of going into investment banking or management consulting for the money but I had very little knowledge of the careers. Upon finding out what the career paths actually entails I believe ai’m severely under-qualified academically, professionally and intellectually.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
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