So I'm at kind of a crossroads here, and maybe the choice is obvious, but here it is. Hoping for some honest feedback.
I'm a walking red flag, didn't get it together until I was in my early 20's and now I'm close to graduating from a non-target in accounting/finance. I have major connections in 2 areas - Tech sales and Accounting. I've always had IB in mind as my target and I have a nearly perfect GPA, so that isn't an issue as much as the school itself and my lack of experience. My choice are -
Leverage connections and walk into an associate role at a top 10 accounting firm, get my CPA, go for a MFin and try to lateral to transaction advisory then IB/PE.
Leverage connections and go into sales at a tech giant (Oracle/SAP/IBM etc) and start hustling.
Option 1: I know this path can be taken because I know people personally who have done it, but I'm looking at my own personal timeline of not being 22 years old anymore and wondering if age is always going to be a barrier for me (who wants to hire a 33 year old A01, etc). If I had 4 years of active duty military experience I would be less concerned with age, but I don't have any good explanation for my gap other than I had to get past some mental health issues that were holding me back (I'm good). Worst case scenario would be I never get an offer on the buy or sell side and I'm stuck in accounting, which I have zero interest in, long-term. Best case is I make associate somewhere after my masters (or TAS if I can swing it without one) and it's off to the races.
Option 2: I give up on the high finance dream and start hustling. I, fortunately, have a network that could get me a job selling a product that sells itself in many ways, and the friends I have in comparable situations have been compensated extremely well. The money wouldn't be instantaneous but there is potential there to make a great living and not be working 100 hours a week. Nothing is a guarantee, but at least the only thing in my way here is my own willingness to hustle and maximize my opportunity.
Really having a hard time making this decision, so I'm hoping some honest feedback from people with experience in either industry could give me some guidance. There are a ton of smart people here who have been very successful, and I would love to hear some opinions.
Tech sales, depending on the company, can have the same lucrative entry level pay as many analyst roles. If you work as hard as an analyst at a BB IB in a tech sales role, you could probably even make more.
What's your passion? Learning about your company and the product and selling? Or FI/ACC wizardry to manage numbers? Would you rather spend lunch with a customer or at your desk? Introverted or extroverted? etc. etc. Very different roles.
Also lifestyle. You can work 50-60 hrs a week or 90-100.
To be fair though the promotions in banking are much more lucrative than at a tech company (usually).
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