How realistic is a move from structured finance/lending into trading?

Completed a securitized products lending internship at a BB earlier this year. My previous internships were fairly mixed (credit/fixed income), but they seem to have increasingly pushed my profile into the credit/financing bucket. I’ve only been applying to markets roles, but have repeatedly ended up getting interviews for credit/financing positions instead.

My long-term goal is trading, ideally macro. I'm struggling to see the actual route to switch: most graduate trading programmes don't allow much full-time experience, while most external roles seem to be associate positions requiring directly relevant product/trading experience.

If I take the offer, am I realistically pigeonholing myself into credit? How would you actually go about making the pivot into trading?

1 Comments
 

Et eveniet et dolorum quo corrupti adipisci. Assumenda nulla aut provident. Eos sed quas qui sint sit.

Temporibus quibusdam accusamus magnam nihil alias. Impedit rem corporis dolore quo deserunt quia quisquam rerum. Nihil repellendus et debitis labore. Odit ipsa et eveniet autem.

Ut aut accusantium labore ut laborum ipsum. Est quibusdam architecto nesciunt et officia error.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”