Seeking Advice - Engineering Student going into Finance (IB/S&T)

Hey everyone, hope you’re all doing well. Been reading since high school but this is my first time posting. Big thanks for all the great stories and laughs over the years.

I’m currently heading into my final year of electrical engineering at the top school in my country, and I’m at a bit of a crossroads.

Since high school, it’s always been my dream to break into finance, but back then, I only received offers from tier 2 business schools. On the other hand, I was admitted into the top engineering programs, so I chose to go the engineering route. After completing a few engineering internships, I realized engineering  isn’t for me. I don't care about work life balance and I honestly don't enjoy life outside work that much so am looking to bury myself in it.

During my most recent internship search, I interviewed for a few quant finance roles and made it to final rounds, but unfortunately, I didn’t land an offer. Right now, I’m finishing up my last internship as a Business Analyst at Amex, which is adjacent to finance but not quite what I’m aiming for. I have always received excellent feedback in any position Ive worked in and can get references from any of my directors.

For context:

• 3.7 GPA
• 5 internships across engineering + corporate management
• Targeting: IB or Sales & Trading
• Considering: MSc Finance at LSE, MBA at NYU, and maybe try for Princeton

Some personal reflection also brought me here. I recently lost a few close friends, and it really made me rethink everything. At the end of the day, this is the only life we get, so I want to at least chase my dream.

That said, I keep hearing conflicting advice:

• “You can break into IB straight from engineering”
• “Don’t do an MBA, just go for MFin”
• “The MFin is only worth it if you go to a top program”

Would love to hear your honest thoughts on the best path forward. I’m open to any advice, whether it’s on degrees, networking, or how to maximize my chances from a non-business background.

Thanks a lot!