Thoughts About Breaking Into IB?

I’m still an undergraduate student and haven’t finished my bachelor’s degree yet. I currently live in Tbilisi, Georgia

My work experience includes:

  • 3-month Financial Audit Internship at Ecovis Georgia
  • 6-month Financial Audit Internship at KPMG Georgia
  • 6 months as a Financial Audit Associate at KPMG Georgia, where I got promoted
  • Since February, I transferred internally to the Deal Advisory Valuation department at KPMG Georgia  By the time I finish my bachelor’s degree, I will likely have more than 1.5 years of experience in this department.

I’m also planning to pass CFA

However, I understand that breaking into Investment Banking without a master’s degree is extremely difficult. My GPA is not very high, around 3.0/4.0, and I also do not have major financial resources. Realistically, I could probably afford around $20,000 maximum for university tuition fees.

Given my background, what would you recommend?

  • Which universities should I target, mainly in Europe or the UK?
  • Are there any strong and realistic pathways into Investment Banking without a master’s degree?
  • I’m especially interested in the Dubai market and would appreciate advice on whether it’s realistically possible to break into IB there directly from my current trajectory.
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