is it possible for a science graduate to enter finance?
Hi all
I'm a recent biochemistry major graduate and seeking for some advise to enter the finance industry. I do not have any formal knowledge of finance and most of my finance knowledge is from reading business news and playing of stocks.
Is it possible for a science graduate to work in the finance sector?
Getting into finance with a science degree
It is possible to break into finance with a science degree, especially if it’s a hard science. The main challenge will be making connections and showing your interest in finance.
If you are still in school you can join finance related clubs take accounting etc. If you are not in school then sitting for theCFA would be helpful. Alternatively, there is the MSF route.
Networking is crucial. Try to find banks that specialize in the area you studied. Two examples of this are biotechnology and
Are you ready to step up your networking game?
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Of course, plenty do it. As long as your GPA is good and you can network. Trading (most of the time) prefers someone will a little bit of scientific/quant knowledge.
Yes, it is absolutely possible. You'll get props for having a quantitative degree but the biggest challenge you will face is convincing the interviewers that you know finance and have a true desire to work in it.
Be prepared to take some sort of coursework, either at a local university or start studying for the level I of the CFA program. Many people on here think of that as useless, but if you're coming from a nontraditional background like I have, it can really add credibility to your resume and back up your "passion" that you will be talking about in the interview. Also, get a really good story as to why you want to be in finance, coming from a very scientific background.
Network throughout this by going to as many finance related events as possible. I always meet interesting and connectable people at CFA society events, but have also had success at other events related to compliance, etc. Basically, you will need to talk to as many people as you can, either at these events or through your friends and family connections. If you took any classes in finance at school, you should definitely speak with your professors, too.
Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention that it would be a very, very good idea to take a look through your alumni directory. If it does not include the current professions of the alumni, better get used to linkedIn and a second monitor.
If you want to take the easier road, go to a MSF program and network while you are in it.
Either way, you're going to have to become really good at networking and have a little bit of luck...
Is biochem really quantitative? In my school biochem majors only take up to calculus...
That's a good point. I thought I read chemistry -- which requires diffeq and multivariable and some others. Now that I think about it, my biochem class was all memorization...
To the OP, I'd put the highest math or physics class you've taken under the selected coursework section but the rest of the advice is still solid. It helped me get MM and boutique IB and ER interviews right out of school, and into a F50 finance rotation program where I am about to start.
Yes it is possible, but most people I know who have made the jump have had long standing interest in it. For example I'm a Junior pursuing a BS in Bio with an MM internship last year and a lot of general business courses. For an MSF I'd imagine that many would want a basic grounding in finance, you might want to look at Duke's MMS and Wake Forest has a similar program, pm me if you want.
Depends a lot on your school. If you are at a target, you will have a shot even with a basket weaving degree. If you are a nontarget, it is possible, however, you'd have to focus on small boutiques that do biotech related deals, so if there are none in your area, you are kinda screwed. Otherwise get an internship at one of those boutiques at any cost. If it's slaving full time for free - so be it. IB internship on the resume will land you interviews for FT. To land that boutique internship you have to do a lot of networking, cold calling, and homework on finance and business in general. My situation had some similarities (PhD Molecular Biology), but some specifics as well (nontarget, non-US citizen, already have nontarget MBA). Went through quite a few unpaid internships (2 boutique investment banks, VC firm, angel fund). Went through some interviews for FT in IB, but ultimately landed in Busdev/CorpDev at a biotech company.
thank you for all the advises. Yes, biochem has not much of quantitative work. It's mainly memorisation of concepts and that's basically it. The closest i got to quantitation are biostatistic and biophysic which i think both do not come close to the actual stats and physic course.
i'm not sure i wanna get into finance yet and still keeping my options open. i would like to think that finance would interest me more due to my dabble in stocks and some funds. although, i feel that it doesn't necessary translate to real interest or something i might be good at.
I'm intending to get internship, even unpaid ones just to get a feel of how the industry feels and probably expand my network and beef up my CV. i've an interest in working in East Asia countries due to my ethnicity and my ability to speak the languages in these countries. but i just don't know which companies to start out as i'm completely green in this industry. any advise on how to start searching for these internships? through recruitment agency or google?
pardon me, may i ask what does target and nontarget mean?
did not see the link for the internship previously. Thanks!!! it's really useful!
Are you at Harvard/Yale/Stanford, or at Idaho State at Podunk? That will be a good approximation whether you are at a target school.
I came out of chemical engineering with zero finance knowledge and got a spot at a boutique firm covering the chemical sector. Granted, I busted my ass to show up at the interview with an impressive amount of knowledge for someone who had no relevant knowledge 5 months ago. I came from a non-target school, but I was lucky in that a lot of kids still end up on Wall St, and the opening created was by an alum who posted it on the school website.
You should definitely target places that cover the pharma/biotech sectors. Sector knowledge isn't necessary, but it's typically desired and helpful.
How can a science major break into accounting/finance and which is a more stable career in general? (Originally Posted: 07/03/2017)
Basically I'm considering turning down a dental school acceptance to break into the business world. I graduated with a degree in natural science (yes completely unrelated) since I thought I'd enjoy being a dentist but it dawned on me how insane the debt is for schooling and having to deal with patients just doesn't seem interesting to me. I went to Fordham University and my gpa is 3.7 overall. I took the GRE last December and got a 163 reading 164 math with a 5.5 average on the essays. I just want to get into a strong master's program that will let me finish all the prereqs I'm clearly missing. It seems most of these schools will likely decline my applications once they see how unrelated my background is and the fact that I don't have any prerequisites complete. Do most of these programs want full-time work experience? I only have 8 years as a part-time tutor. Also which career is more stable in terms of job security - finance or accounting? Any advice on what my best course of action would be? Apologies for the length of this post; I've been beating my head in over this issue for a while. My goal is to work in NYC but I don't care where I have to go in this country to get the education I need first.
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