Latino woman not groomed for the finance “world” thoughts pls?
Pretty weird sharing my story for some feedback, but I genuinely appreciate your time. Would love your honest thoughts, harsh or not.
I’m about to graduate in June from a private University in Chicago, I’m majoring in Finance and do not have a full time lined up/much experience. I am pretty worried I’ve ruined all chances of efficiently getting into a good career path. Some background about me.. I grew up in Puerto Rico, moved here when I was 14, and only spoke Spanish. This was a big blessing and my fist stepping stone to overcoming adversity. As a 14 year old I spent every night until 1-2am reading/getting ahead in classes to perfect my English + get rid of any hint of an accent. (people are shocked that I even speak Spanish fluently).
Fast forward to college, I fell in love with my University as it is well known for their business school, and decided I was going to make it happen and earn my bachelors degree in Finance.
I grew up low-income, with a single (incredibly independent/loving) mom, and 4 siblings. I’m also the only person in my family to earn a bachelors degree. I didn’t grow up with the exposure to finance, I didn’t have the opportunities that 70% of the people I go to school with had, and finances were an absolute foreign topic at home. Growing up I saw my family and especially my mom struggle to get by, and til this day she lives stressed paycheck to paycheck. I want to mention that she lives stressed in this aspect of her life, but we never forget how truly blessed we are. We are the happiest family and never lose sight of how far we’ve all come and how we could be in a worst position.
That being said, as happy and positive my mom makes the effort to be, I want to take all the worries, stresses and pain away from her. I don’t think she deserves to carry this weight on her shoulders everyday. I genuinely want to change the trajectory of my family tree and I really hope I can.
(I hope I’m not rambling too much), as I mentioned, finances were already a burden in my family, so I decided to work my ass off and pay for my education on my own (with the help of some academic scholarships + some FAFSA), still going to a private university is an expensive investment. This is where I’m not sure if I made the right decision. I spent all of my college years working 3 part time jobs + as much baby/dog sitting gigs I could to be able to pay my tuition every month. I am graduating debt free because of all of my hard work. But I’m genuinely worried that I didn’t use my time in college efficiently.
My university is known for networking, I networked some but not enough to have a job lined up. All of my part time jobs were sales related, and I had one internship that had some accounting, admin & sales. I’m graduating with ~3.4 GPA, have my Bloomberg Capital Markets Certification, decent at excel (spending my time now to freshen up) and I read a ton and am always keeping up with the market.
I’m very conflicted and would love your advice. I am in a place where I’ve always loved to learn enough about everything but never settled to master ONE thing. I’m incredibly interested in trading, equity research, credit/risk, everything about retirement.. I’m interested to learn about consulting.. As you can see I should have spent more time in college exposing myself to these careers so that I can have a clearer picture on what I want to go into. (I’m bashing myself but I am the type to sit down and figure it out).
I’d love some feedback/stories if you know of anyone or if you are anything like me. Can I actually make something of myself? What skills can I work on to improve my chances? To conclude, I’ll leave some personal details- I’m an incredibly adaptable person, very hard working, focused, quick learner, personable, empathetic..
Thanks for your time (I hope this wasn’t all over the place) and I appreciate your feedback in advance.
I don’t usually respond to posts like these but it sounds like you have an amazing story. If consulting is what you want to do then you might run into a little trouble with your gpa and the overall timing given that you’re graduating already. If I were you I’d find the best possible job you can right now and maybe think about using business school to transition in the next few years.
As far as the rest, I wouldn’t have any regrets if I were you. Sounds like you’ve worked hard and you should be proud of your accomplishments. Your attitude overall sounds incredibly positive. Keep pushing and you’re bound to be successful.
Edit: I missed the part about trading and ER on my first read. Do you have any relevant internships (maybe I missed that too)?
Thank you for taking the time to read, I genuinely appreciate your input! As far as internships, no relevance to finance. Just tried learning on my own, and invested into JPM when I was 18, and currently have an incredible professor for a stock picking class with ~25 years of experience on wall street. (currently reaching out for advice to him as well). Can I ask if you know what would be a good “stepping stone” job to seek out in the mean time?
Pick what you're interested in. Any corporate finance job or even back office banking job would be great. You'd be surprised at how many people at top b-schools come from back office jobs at banks, PE firms, or mutual funds (think accounting jobs) and are successful in recruiting for IB or consulting. The MSF option mentioned below sounds great as well. Good luck!
You’re a perfect candidate for an MSF reset. Great story, minority + woman, and not terrible grades. Crush the GMAT and get into Vanderbilt, MIT, WashU, UVA type MSF program.
I appreciate this a ton!! I will look into it asap!thank you so much for reading.
I went to reply to your question on my original post but I actually completely agree with this. I hadn't thought about MSF programs but this sounds like a great option for you. Feel free to PM me with any more questions. Happy to review your resume as well.
In terms of LBObuyout 's idea ... ugh. I absolutely don't have that kind of authority -- realistically no individual at my firm or any of my prior firms has had that authority. Furthermore, not sure they would even do it unless it was their own child. The idea of an unpaid intern is great in concept but realistically a huge burden on an organization. You need to provide the individual with computer equipment, setup email, and basically do all the "new hire" stuff even if they aren't getting paid. Particularly an undergrad intern (MBA intern can be different) -- if you want to actually give them a good experience and not just ask them to do data entry, it requires substantial oversight, explanations, etc. This ends up being a drain on your organization's resources. That is why so many firms reject people who ask to work for free. Lastly -- in some states it isn't even permitted to have an undergrad work for free (I believe California is one of them, but don't quote me on this one)...
I absolutely hear you. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and provide feedback. I know I’m not in the best position, and COVID on top of it all sucks even more. I will keep getting my masters in my mind, as I put my best efforts into getting myself into some kind of finance job. I am worried overall, but I know it’s possible with a little more effort and work on my part. It would’ve been incredible to not have to worry after college like many of my peers, but it’s okay! I’m not a stranger to hustle haha. Thanks so much again.
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I appreciate so much you taking the time to read and leave so much helpful information for me. I was looking into Vanderbilt and I think deadlines are passing up. I wish I knew about this earlier on, I don’t want to make a rushed decision just yet. But I love this route and will keep it in mind for sure!
I'm in no position to be giving advice but your story is brilliant and already reflects an upward trajectory. Like people have said above, take up any finance-related job you can find. You seem to be a great candidate overall, so you'll definitely be able to network your way into a position you're more interested in after. I do believe networking is easier if you have something on hand, people might give you more credit. Have you considered taking the CFA exam?
CFA is a great idea - good call.
Amazing story, amazing to see that one can actually pay for school while working, even though I am sure it was extremely difficult. People always like to give motivated self-starters a chance. There are many companies out there. I'd say definitely try to get some sort of work experience in before returning to school. I'd shoot to work this coming year before considering a masters. Some programs even expect that. Meanwhile, you can study for and take the GMAT. Working also gives you a chance to network, think about career options. Congrats - it might not be a straight path, but keep plugging. Really inspiring. You'll get what you want if you don't give up.
Yess, it’s absolutely possible to work and go to school but definitely took a toll on me many times. I don’t regret it because it’s one (massive) less thing to worry about with money, but do wish I mapped things out differently. I’m happy that I have options like a masters to advance, but will absolutely be putting my efforts into getting some experience first and looking into the CFA! Thanks so much for reading and leaving some feedback! I was starting to think I’m doomed and only option I had was to invest more money and get a masters right away:/
Thank you SO much! The CFA completely slipped my mind! I will absolutely be looking into that, and I think there’s a membership organization I can join- hopefully I still can. But this is a great suggestion!
I would agree with the MSF comment, but if you need a job now look at MO buyside jobs.
They are dying to hire women, especially diverse ones.
MO->Trading happens often there. I did it myself. Had an offer internally but took an external position. You just need to work hard and network with the desk. Doesnt seem like that will be an issue for you.
wow thanks so much for this info! Will look into it ASAP. I’m completely drawing a blank, can you remind me what “MO” stands for?
Middle Office.
I.E Trade Support, Risk and at some shops Trading Assistant. FWIW anecdotally it seems the MO->Trader happens more on fixed income than equity. But may just been what Ive seen
Not in a place to give you advice, but just wanted to say your story is very inspiring and I have no doubt that you will be successful if you continue to work as hard as you did throughout school.
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