I am a non-finance STEM PhD and will be doing a SA with a BB in one of its coverage groups. I wonder if it is possible to negotiate a conversion to FT associate assuming everything goes well? Do non-finance PhDs always start as analysts? Any thoughts appreciated!
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That sounds unlikely... Generally, the difference between an associate and an analyst is their soft skills and ideally, their understanding behind the why (the finance part), rather than how (technical skills). Usually an analysts hard skills far exceed an associates, assuming the associate wasn't an A2A. So a STEM PhD doesn't help you make the case for a sudden promotion.
For reference, I am a non-finance STEM PhD coming in as a summer associate at a BB. Getting the position required enrolling in a top MBA program.
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