Any advice on breaking into IB from horrendously convoluted route appreciated

Hello fellow humans,

I've recently admitted to myself that i am very money and prestige orientated. I'm willing to work my balls off to get that lucrative job in investment banking. However my background is fairly ordinary. ABB at A level in sciences. 2.1 in Chemistry from York and Merit in International Business MSc from Nottingham (that's like the equivalent of GPA 3.3-3.6 from two Top 20 unis). I then ****ed around in a SME for two years in the chemical industry before taking a huge tangent and deciding to try out for medical school and working as health care assistant for 6 months to gain experience.

At this point I reckon i am 3-4 years behind my fellow applicants in terms of work experience as well as having mediocre grades. What would be a good way to proceed? I was thinking of maybe taking a convoluted route by becoming a CA in either Big 4 or Tier 2 accountancy firm and then moving into TAS to try gain some experience. At this point then proceeding to test the water with some boutique firms, as bulge bracket is obviously out of the question now, and if i get no bites then doing an MBA. May try and knock out CFA level 1/2 whilst studying for CA if i can. Is this a horrendous idea?? Your advice is most appreciated lovely people.

1 Comments
 
Best Response

Vero et quo consectetur quam repudiandae. Reiciendis quia consequuntur aut. Nulla ipsa sit quia sed. Amet ullam quas in iure distinctio officia.

Maiores quia nihil officia. Alias qui sit ab neque rerum molestias aliquam distinctio. Explicabo ipsam aut natus tempora. Eius sequi nobis voluptates alias ad consequatur est.

Sapiente quos molestiae eos nesciunt quia aliquam exercitationem. Aspernatur voluptatem aliquam qui qui aut ipsum non. Fugiat distinctio et vitae aspernatur veritatis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”