Breaking Free? Changing career paths? Starting over?

Graduated from Business school 2 1/2 years ago with a Finance degree. I had plan, to climb the corporate ladder by utilizing everything learned in school...then ended up working at a retail bank.

I just have one simple question,

How on earth can one break free from the metal chains of RETAIL BANKING?!?

Please help!

7 Comments
 

Tough one. What opportunities are there internally? What exactly do you do in retail banking? Is there anyone senior to latch on to who likes/respects you?

 

In retail banking your basically servicing clients in consumer and business deposit products, cross- selling, etc. It's similar to PWM but on a smaller scale.The biggest problem is that your not licensed so your limited with what you can do. I haven't heard any success stories for transitioning from retail banking to pwm.

In terms of latching on to a senior, you can. But again you'll always be in a branch. You would start off as a Teller or Personal Banker, then go to being an Assist. Manager then a Branch Manager, then a Consumer Market Manager. But its all on the retail side.

At this point I'm an Assist. Manager. So I am responsible for majority of the ops in the banking center and assisting my branch manager on the sales front. I'm working on moving up the ladder, but i realized its all the same thing just at a different level. If I were to change industries I would have to start from the bottom, get licensed and experience then move up, Correct?

 
Best Response
h2rIn retail banking your basically servicing clients in consumer and business deposit products, cross- selling, etc. It's similar to PWM but on a smaller scale.The biggest problem is that your not licensed so your limited with what you can do. I haven't heard any success stories for transitioning from retail banking to pwm.

In terms of latching on to a senior, you can. But again you'll always be in a branch. You would start off as a Teller or Personal Banker, then go to being an Assist. Manager then a Branch Manager, then a Consumer Market Manager. But its all on the retail side.

At this point I'm an Assist. Manager. So I am responsible for majority of the ops in the banking center and assisting my branch manager on the sales front. I'm working on moving up the ladder, but i realized its all the same thing just at a different level. If I were to change industries I would have to start from the bottom, get licensed and experience then move up, Correct?

Do you have contact with anyone above the branch level or can you befriend someone at that level? Is B-School a possibility?

 

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