Getting into Finance from Biology AFTER Graduation
Hello All,
So I just graduated from a pretty well known university with a B.S. in Biology and a GPA of 3.3 (I did much better my junior and senior year than I did my freshman year). I worked a seasonal job in my area of study and just finished it up a couple of weeks ago. As much as I enjoy biology, and science in general, it doesn't seem the right career path for me. My mentality and focus seemed to be different than most of my co-workers and colleagues in school, who were also biology majors. I've come to accept it and moved on.
From reading around different forums, it seems that Finance is a good field for me to go into. I very much enjoy critical thinking and data analysis. I have experience with Excel, Python, JMP, and R, but would like to stick to the non code based area. I'm not going to go into the rest of the skills that people in finance need, but I fit the profile quite well. My problem is getting started.
I do not know what knowledge I need to obtain. In general, I do not know a lot of the terminology that is needed. I've looked into both WallStreetOnline as well as Training the Street to gain knowledge about terminology in general as well as modeling with Excel. Is either of these worth it? I also do not know what area specifically I would want to go into. Investment banking seems like something I would excel in, but I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to sell 100% of my soul (so to speak).
I am a fast learner and will take on any challenge that comes to me, but need help starting. If anyone has any suggestions on where to start teaching myself, or types of jobs to look for, I'd be more than appreciative.
Thank you very much.
It looks like you need to a do a little more research on WSO & other similar sites ... it is going to be EXTREMELY challenging to break into a (front office or other) finance role post graduation without any relevant experience and a sub 3.5 GPA. The best advice I can offer is try to see if maybe you can get into a finance-ish related role at the company you interned with / a highly related one. From there, you can either try to build upon you experience and try to lateral into something else or go for a top MBA program.
No amount of modeling courses or learning of "finance terminology" will get banks or other financial firms to even look at you w/ out any relevant experience, relevant degree, or a 3.5+ gpa.
I was a biology undergrad and will be attending a master of finance program in the summer. My advice would be to take the GMAT and apply to several graduate programs. Many schools have deadlines that extend until May and surprisingly do not require undergrad coursework in the subject nor work experience. Having a masters degree would help you break into the field. I hope this helps and good luck.
IB is probably out of reach without a graduate degree. I don't think you have to sell your soul.
If you can land a job, an MBA would be a good route after a couple years experience. If you can't find anything, you might think about an MSF.
If you find pleasure in Python, JMP, R, and data analysis, I don't think you're going to like i-banking ;)
Breaking into finance - Breaking in from biology (Originally Posted: 06/20/2010)
I'm looking to break into finance from biology. I'm going into sophomore year will have peer reviewed journal articles, internship in a research lab. My GPA is a 3.3, I have no financial background other than microeconomics and labor econ. I am at a school which has a really bad b school so what am I to do? Where should I target for internships and ultimately where do I go from here. I'm interested in I banking and have no qualms about MM/boutique or going into prop trading. I have friends and family at GS 1 VP, JPM 2 analysts and 2 VPs and at BarCap one MD and the President of Webster Bank. Other than getting in via nepotism at these firms where should I target in the MM/Boutique, I prefer the NYC/Boston/Philly area, however anywhere in the NE from Boston to Northern Viriginia is fine and if I went the S & T route chicago would be fine.
Nepotism's you're best bet. It happens all the time. It's all about who you know bud. Keep working and keep up with your contacts they will help you out.
I'd say a good start would be to take some finance classes and see whether you actually enjoy the material. Know a guy who went from bio to a brokerage, good math skills but just didn't have the persona.
Overall, though westfald is dead on: nepotism rules, if you have the strings, pull them.
Your connections are the only thing you have going at this point. Low GPA, non-target school, and an irrelevant degree is going to get you shut out of any reputable I Bank. If this is something you really want than do not hesitate to leverage who you know, you will have a much easier journey. Talk to your friends and family in the business and find out how incredibly competitive IB jobs at MM and boutiques are, I think that will change your tune about using your contacts. That being said, if you really have such good contacts in IB why are you even bothering with an internet message board when you can be getting information from those you know for a fact have made it in IB?
I'm willing to transfer to Fordham or University of Richmond and switch to business or finance as my major. My gpa is low as it was my first year and I took classes with a draconian curve i.e. 2.2-2.7. Are either of these schools considered semi-target?
Fordham is semi-target (No OCR, some street alums). I know kids from different FO programs (Citi, BAML, JPM) from FU
I also know a kid from Richmond at Jefferies.
So yeah, its possible, youll just have your work cut out for you
Take finance classes. Or just read through any of the books mentioned on IB on other threads, see if you like it. With a bio background you could have an edge with a small VC firm for internship, then you can use that as a transition to IB instead of just a complete 180 from bio to finance. Just an idea. Family connections are what's going to carry you most of the way in your situation
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