Hello,
I am currently in the middle of a career change. I currently work as a dietitian at a hospital and over the last 2 years I decided to pivot career to the financial industry. I know it is a big 180 turn. However, during this time, I have just graduated with an MS in Finance with a 4.0 and passed Level I and Level II of the CFA Exams (both 90th percentile). Unfortunately, I went to a "no name" university as I didn't know finance was so pedigree oriented. They have little recruiting power.
It's not hard to imagine that I am having difficulty landing a job in the financial industry. I have no internship experience and my background is very different. I was wondering what are possible paths I should look to in order to start this career switch. I know the premium jobs such IB and S&A are near impossible to get into (I have tried), but I am pretty much getting no responses from my applications.
Other information:
-Passed SIE Exam for possible series tests
-Took 2 online grad courses on coursera at UPenn
-Took WallSteetOasis Class on Excel and Modeling.
-I do try to network as much as I can
-I am 28 and live in CT
I would appreciate if anyone had advice for my non-traditional situation, what jobs I should look for, and what I can do to stand out.
Thank you!
Hey, bud. What you did is not easy - even taking those initial steps. Sure, some people will say you are late to the party or tell you about the competition and the same, but focus on what you can do for now. I promise, more doors will open up when you are in the job market. Right now, you are a former dietician who has a CFA L2 and an MSF. Not a bad start but not exactly what you might want for long.
I am not sure what kind of jobs you can have in CT. But, if I were you, I would not focus on IB; not for now. Try to get into a:
1. FP&A role at a company that works in dietary supplements or food processing or nutrition - you get the drift. The most optimal opportunity right now would be in a place where you are the required person as a finance individual who understands the industry.
2. PWM: I am writing this across several answers and maybe should test this idea a little more, but if you can break into an Investment Advisory role at a boutique PWM, you can get your start. It would be more sales and less finance, but will definitely help you get your foot in the door.
3. Research & Analytics: I am painting with a broad brush here. But, I see more and more boutique research shops opening now; although my focus is on activist shorts, I am pretty sure if you look around, you will find these smaller research-driven platforms. They can be third-party data providers, consultants, or good old research-publishing shops. Sometimes they are too small and have only a handful of members. But, if I were you, I would focus more on sharpening my tools before I aim big.
4. Big4: It can help you get the brand on the resume. At this point, anything remotely related to Finance where you can use even an ounce of what you picked up in CFA, will be a good start. Your plan would be to lateral into a more relevant role as you progress and since Big4 are almost always hiring, you will have more room to shift gears.
Make sure your sole motive right now is to reduce the friction of the transition. Once you are even in a back-office role, you will be able to maneuver. So, to sum it up - FP&A in the same industry, Wealth Management/Investment Advisory, Research/Analytics/Data Services, and Big4. I might be totally off the mark here but if I were you, this is how I would tackle it.
This is great advice! Thank you so much. I will start looking for these roles!
Laughs in CFA level 3 god and Wharton
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