Looking for the Next Step
Hi All,
Total noob here and somewhat with finance in general. I am looking for ways to get into a financial analyst position from where I am now and this seemed like the best resource to use for advice.
I was an English major in college (graduated in 2011) but also completed coursework in engineering and statistics and did alright (A- average overall, A- average in-major and eng and stat courses). I went to a non-target, private, liberal arts school but my engineering coursework was done through a semi-target engineering program. Currently, I work as a data analyst for an NGO federal contractor in a social service program. My job is mostly data-driven but also has some public policy components. I got interested in finance while witnessing several mergers of our competitors and going through grant re-compete processes and realized that my program analytics work now would probably translate pretty well to an analyst position.
The road block is obviously my lack of exposure to the finance world. I know that I can do the work, but getting someone to take a chance on me may be another story.
I'm not necessarily looking to get into IB-type work - buy/sell side is probably my target - and I would really like to stay in the DC-area, at least while my fiance finishes medical school.
If anyone has any advice for me, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Til
Do more research. Reading a WSO or Vault Guide would be a good start.
What do you know about finance?
Just basics at this point. However, as I mentioned (albeit after your post) I am probably a ways away from actually applying to anything. I'm comfortable where I'm at and have plenty of breathing room to get my skills/knowledge up to par.
I actually ordered the Vault guides to IB and MM-IB this morning. It is probably redundant, but they're cheap and I'd rather not miss any that isn't cross-published.
The last bit didn't quite make sense now that I've re-read it - cut/pasting and not bothering to check for clarity/etc.. At this point, I'm not really looking to do equity research-type work, I'm mostly interested in doing non-brokerage firm work. But, my mind my change. I think I'm probably 6-12mos away from applying to anything anyway.
The research has commenced, but I'm here, basically, to reassure myself that it isn't a fruitless endeavor all together and to make sure I take all of the proper steps along the way. I don't mind taking my time to do it right (or, as right as I can at this point) but pointers along the way are going to be needed.
Eg., in having no experience, would it be worthwhile to consider going for a CFA with a charter pending required experience in advance of applying later down the road? A friend of mine did this and recently landed an analyst position and swears it is a good route, but he also got hired by a friend of his father's, so that is a thing, too.
Non-brokerage firm work, what does that mean? What type of finance are you interested in? Investment Banking? Corporate Finance?
You're probably better off getting a masters in finance, or maybe an MBA on your timeline and if your work experience will support a top 20 school. It's possible to network out of a data analysis position (I did) but you will likely lose a lot of time and be hired into a 2nd tier finance position (aka not IB/ER/AM/trading) directly. Again, it's totally possible, but going back to school and resetting your recruitment options is much more efficient.
Do you have any suggestions on what to look for in an MSF program? I think I could get into most programs (MIT/Princeton excluded) but I'm not sure exactly where to look - there don't seem to be any reliable rankings or tiers for MSFs. BC would be good, as my finance will likely end up in Boston for residency by that time, but that's not much to base a career on and location isn't a big priority, but everything I've read indicates that outside of Princeton/MIT, MSFs are highly regional, so maybe I should put more weight on it.
@TNA runs a website called msfhq.com that has a lot of data on MSF programs...
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