Don't kill me, but...

I know this will likely catch a lot of flack, but I'm really interested in ESG research positions. Wondered if anyone here jumped from IB, ER, consulting, or a similar role to an impact fund or an organization/tech firm doing ESG research + investing.

Feels like a natural, more intellectually challenging progression from my nonprofit/public sector (wildland firefighting, community organizing, and overall environmental conservation) background that spans 11 states from 2014 to 2020.

No, I'm not a tree-hugger, and I'm not even an outdoor "enthusiast" so to speak (not that I'm against hiking, camping, etc., but work/live outside for months at a time you start to appreciate showers and chilling at the house in your off time). I truly just enjoyed the blood, sweat, and satisfaction of setting out to do a thing, putting in the 16 hours/day to get it done, then seeing it completed with nothing but some beautiful scenery or a grateful community as the reward. Now, as I venture to complete my formal education (Data Analytics & Social Sciences at Penn), I'm figuring out how best to continue work with that level of impact/satisfaction on the other side. The contextual challenges affiliated with the apparent David v. Goliath battle over climate policy/impact investments right now are super exciting to me, and I also believe the payoff for building subject-matter expertise in the sector sooner than later could be amazing 10 years from now in either a lobbying/lead researcher position, or any position where they'll need experts to drive infrastructural change on the Hill (or even just within my state legislature) by leveraging different types of data.

That being said, I'm curious:

Has anyone here exited from IB, Quant Research, Equity Research, Commodities, etc. into ESG or sustainable research/investing? Has anyone jumped straight from undergrad or an MBA to an ESG or impact role? I know they're very few and far between right now, so I wondered if there were any distinctive paths to the sector. If so, any advice on breaking into it? Any advice on specific technical skills that benefited you along the way? I'm learning Python, R, Excel, SQL, Cloud data mgmt, and data viz tools in my program, which is consistent with what I've seen in job descriptions. Would love to get your insight if you're out there!

Again, this isn't about the politics, nor is it about some holier than thou agenda. I've just found that I'm most interested in research and analysis when I have a deeper understanding of the underlying factors and relationships between what I'm researching, not to mention that it's rare you can do good for others while still making a good living and securing your future from a financial perspective.

Thanks, guys!