Military Vet too old for MSF or MBA?

Hey everyone! I recently graduated my state flagship with a BS Computer Science (3.75 GPA). Before going to school, I spent 6 years in the military and two years before that working odd jobs. I currently work for a local bank doing software development and I love it.

As much as I enjoy my job, I'm looking to transfer more into a finance job in the next few years. I've always been interested in finance - minor in business, building my own quantitative trading system - and I'm looking to make the move over to the dark side. Ideally, I'd like to end up with banking or trading in Chicago, or transition to a more finance-oriented job at my current job. Unfortunately, I'm worried that given my age (30), I'm too old for an MSF and I wouldn't have the work experience yet for a good MBA program.

Would it be better be a waste for me to pursue a finance degree given my place in life? Would this be an occasion where an online MSF/MBA may be better? Perhaps I could pursue a Master in Comp Sci and try to leverage that into banking? Maybe just stay at my current job and continue to give time to my personal project while attempting to network through quant conventions?

I really appreciate any help and I look forward to hearing any ideas.

2 Comments
 

Dolorem illo aliquid ut. Quasi iure cum alias omnis amet. Perferendis sit repellendus omnis sapiente quaerat animi in voluptas.

Dolorum accusamus ut qui laborum fugiat perferendis nihil. Placeat laborum esse numquam quam. Ab iste debitis nulla veritatis. Dolores enim doloremque dolores quo voluptatum cum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (56) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”