Is double MSc a red flag? (Europe)
Hi everyone. I graduated last year with a "target" MSc in Finance from a European school. For a while I was doing okay, considering the economy and where things were going. I worked at a development bank in London for 8 months. My division was a bit weird in its function. I was doing valuation and financial modelling for the portfolio but also active deals. It was a purely hard-skill job that taught me a lot very fast. It was an FTC that ended with no extension. I've been out of job ever since. I'm nearing 900 applications with no hope in sight. I am offered a spot to do another MSc in Finance, this time a better school with a better network (in France and UK). I don't speak French yet but I can learn for sure given the high transferability between it and what I speak now.
I want to go but am unsure of how it'll be perceived having 2 masters. Does it indicate failure? Does it signal a red flag?
It is true that the economy is hurting right now and a lot of people are jumping onto the education bandwagon to bridge the gap between jobs. 1,000 applications and more without a job are the norm now.
Do you think you will be fluent enough at the end of the degree to land an IB gig? French is a beautiful language, but it requires some practice to be really fluent. IB French might be even more tricky (I don't speak French).
Thanks for the response bro. So yeah I mean I’m applying so aggressively and making connections and nothing is clicking. Even last year I managed to get 3 offers by summer.
I’m basing this on past experience of learning enough Spanish in 9 months to pass consulting interviews, yeah I think I can have decent fluency by the time I start the MSc in recruiting. This school recruits heavily in IB and PE in France but also the UK. I’m lowkey regretting I didn’t go there in the first place after seeing their LinkedIn network.
I don’t know much about IB in France other than it improved after brexit. It’s going to be my first target if I go ahead with the second masters
May I ask that how do you master your Spanish in that fast speed? Thanks for your help and wish you all the best!
I did a DD in France and another country and had a wonderful experience, not a red flag per se for banking. But be very strategic about the schools you choose.
Just to clarify this isn't a DD so it's not the same. I'll graduate in 2026 but my first masters was 2023.
My logic here is that I should focus on what I got wrong the last time around. That is, recruit locally and not be so terminally obsessed with London and start making connections from day 1.
Gotcha, I think you should take the other MSc. A degree (especially at a respected school with good placements - lets say Warwick or above) is better than not having a job. Agree, dont worry about London too much. Try to get a BB in Paris for example
bump
I'm in the same position
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