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I've very recently asked this on here, specifically I was interested in going from credit to DCM. I'd link it to you but don't have enough bananas to do that. Check my profile if you want to see it.

From what I've heard, networking combined with an obvious understanding of the group you're hoping to go into is the key. I've read responses to other questions that suggest that the CFA can help, and failing that, in the long term an MBA would be a good stepping stone (provided you can get into a target school).

Regarding the difficulty of this kind of transition, it seems mixed. Someone on my question says it'll be a stretch, but is possible. On other threads, it seems like everyone knows credit analysts who've moved into lev fin/IB/whatever. Some people have even gone on to say that a solid understanding of credit is a good foundation for IB, while others say it's a completely different skill set.

 

It is possible, but to expand on Galt's comments, I think that results are likely to be quite mixed.

In my experience, credit analysts from a commercial/corporate lending background often have very wide and highly variable experiences. Some analysts will get good deal flow and experiences that allow them to develop the core credit and corporate finance skill sets to be successful in LevFin/IB. Other credit analysts may be severely lacking due to more limited work experience, type of work experience (e.g. underwriting treasury management, FX, corporate card risk, etc.), and work environment (mentors, credit program training/rigor, culture/expectations, etc.). Even outside of obtaining the necessary skills, commercial lending often has a much more lenient work culture, and some analysts find it difficult to transition into IB due to the hours, quality of the work product, and overall higher expectations in many cases.

In terms of advice, I think that it is important to have a very thorough understanding of credit and common structures employed (understand legal docs), and the ability to be conversational in capital structure and broader corporate finance topics. Credit and equity are just looking at different sides of the same coin.

 

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