Hey guys, I have a pretty unconventional background, especially by finance standards, and am looking for ways to make the move into S&T. I went to state school in New England that ranks well in academics but doesn't exactly have a reputation on the street. There I played football and simultaneously completed the ROTC program while majoring in finance. After graduation I commissioned as an Army officer and went on active duty for 3 years (full length of my contract) and have since been working at a startup founded by other vets. I've been at the startup for a year now and they are a SaaS company, I started as a Biz Dev Rep, moved up to AE, and have been the sales director now for about 8-9 months. The impression that I've gotten from the people in S&T that I've spoken with is that I have a solid base (finance degree, military experience, sales experience) but I've been having trouble finding my way in. I guess I can summarize with a couple of questions, some of which were prompted by the conversations I've had with people in the industry.
1) Simply when looking for jobs I don't necessarily know which titles I would be a good fit for. When I've looked the IB jobs, they usually have a veteran specific program (GS VIP, JPM Military Pathways, etc), but I don't see anything similar for S&T, do they simply not exist?
2) While it would be ideal to have a FO job right away I am open putting in the work and proving myself for a couple years if a MO/BO job would set me up to do that. My issue here is that I've hear mixed reviews on success. One of the guys I spoke with who works on a FICC desk started in MO, got his CFA and then moved to FO but others I speak to say that it's extremely rare. What are the prospects of making that type of transition and which jobs would set me up best (sales assistant vs trade support vs operations)?
3) What are some other things I can be doing to help my chances? CFA, B School, online coding courses, etc.
4) Any other advice would be appreciated.
Bottom line up front: I know that this is a difficult career field to make it into and that most people who try never get their shot. I'm just trying to put my best foot forward and leverage my talent and experience in a way that makes me stand out and hopefully at least gets me to an interview if nothing else. Thanks.
Army Monkey, bummer your thread hasn't had a response yet. Maybe one of these threads could point you in the right direction:
You're welcome.
ZZYZX
you'll need to make a personal connection...lots of ex military guys in senior positions...so start networking
Find ex-military guys to network with (LinkedIn has search functions that are terrific for this)
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