My chances of becoming an analyst (IB, PE, HF, VC, ER)

I would really appreciate the no bones about it, honest to God opinion of my prospects of landing an analyst position (IB, PE, HF, VC, ER).

Top 40 undergrad (double major in ACC / FIN) 3-year accelerated program w/ 3.2 cum GPA and 3.65 majors GPA.
Masters in ACC from low-tier state school 3.65 GPA (Graduate in 1 month)
CPA w/ 3 months work experience left to be certified (all tests passed)
CFA Level 3 candidate
Real Estate license
Business Valuation internship (business consulting division of a large regional ACC firm)
M&A / Corporate Strategy Intern with a large retailer
2030 SAT
22 yrs old and realizing how behind the 8-ball I really am

I appreciate any and all comments and the time you allocate to doing so.

 

In many respects, ER & IB are very different; it's almost impossible to network effecively for both at the same time, especially with no direct work experience and given the fact that you're starting this late. Honestly, I'd recommend first putting in the time to actually figure exactly what you want and why. Once you figure that out, you can more effectively use your time to network, at which point you need to craft a better story as to why that specific position given your wide range of experiences.

 

The cadence of your comment is flawless, thanks for you input. I've been networking at CFA institute dinners on the ER side. In regards to IB networking- I represented my school in the ACG cup (investment banking competition amongst FL schools) and have a few business cards from that I sent emails too (to no avail), now trying to reach out to alumni.

 

The cadence of your comment is flawless, thanks for you input. I've been networking at CFA institute dinners on the ER side. In regards to IB networking- I represented my school in the ACG cup (investment banking competition amongst FL schools) and have a few business cards from that I sent emails to (to no avail), now trying to reach out to alumni.

 
Best Response

No problem. I also recently graduated from a state school with very little IB recruiting, so I was definitely very focused on networking from the get go. I knew I wanted ER, so I focused my networking exclusively on that side, and eventually got it. Although it is certainly more risky, if I didn't do that, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten anything, because the focus of IB networking is completely different from ER. In particular, ER recruiting is not nearly as structured, so you have to be a lot more focused and specific if you truly want to make it into that industry, especially given your limited time frame.

Also, on the point of networking, don't be afraid to cold call & cold email. I did a lot of that, but, looking back, I could have done a lot more still. You really have to be fearless and aggressive if you want to get in.

 

ER is the logical choice for me, given my background. I just feel that the exit opps are more limited in ER relative to IB.

I will have to step my networking game up though. The cold calls / emails haven't been a tool that I've utilized much.

 

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