Seeking life advice from interenet strangers

Hi WSO,

Hope all is well. Figured I'd lead with that given how many times I've written that in the past month to random VPs/MDs...I am in need of some advice as to where to go from here. I'd really appreciate your input - I've always lurked around the forum and have learned a lot.

I am in the process of selling a business that I started. I will end up doing pretty well with it. The reason I felt I should include that is I will not be in dire need of money, so my options are flexible. Before I started my business I worked in ER out of college for a year and decided I didn't like it. I graduated in 2016 with a liberal arts degree from a T5 public, gpa/degree isn't that great.

I would really like to work in S&T. I have a strong interest in markets and always have. I have no illusions of what will be available to me given my background. As I mentioned earlier, salary is not a major concern of mine but I will still need to be making something. I have been applying to Sales Assistant jobs at BB/Boutiue, I'm hoping I'm on the right track there. I am most knowledgeable in ECM so that would be preferable, but I would take anything I can get and will get up to speed as fast as I can. I have had some interest from some no-name type of 'boutiques' but have concerns about exit opps. I'd really like to start somewhere and stay there for as long as possible.

The other thought that has been on my mind lately is returning back to school for my MBA. There is a school here, Pace that I should be able to get into. I would take the Financial Management program to somewhat negate my UG background and obviously to learn as much as I can.

What say you guys? Do I have a shot at getting an assistant role on a sales desk? I meet the qualifications for the positions I have applied for but I would imagine there are a ton of applicants who are more qualified than me in certain regards. I have been networking and have been fortunate enough to have people help me as much as they can with intros, etc. I am obviously going to keep networking hard as I think that would be my best chance to break in.

 

Hi Eminis, any of these topics helpful:

  • Investment Banking Interview Questions- 15 Answers to Land the Job prepared for your investment banking interviews from top to bottom: Investment Banking Interview- The 1st ... strong/overenthusiastic or I'll think I will be annoyed with you the first week on the job. Sit up in your chair. ... Listen, listen, listen!!! So many mistakes come from just not listening carefully and not being in the ...
  • From Sales & Trading to private equity Thanks. private equity 1st job; career; Finance; sales and trading ... would be awesome to hear from anyone who made the switch from sales & trading to private equity. ... Hi guys. I'm going to be a sales & trading intern at a top BB in Hong Kong this summer. ...
  • Can you please describe a job in sales? Liar's Poker. F--ktard was a good place to begin with. advice sales 1st job; career; Finance; sales and ... finance and economics (I think I'll major in econ). After finding some adversities with trading and ... analysis, I think a job as a saleswoman would suit me. So now let's go to questions:-Is a job in
  • Hedge Fund Careers: Getting a Hedge Fund Job Out of Undergrad and Beyond A career in the hedge fund industry is one of the most desirable careers in finance. Money is ... the optimal career trajectory for so many. Hedge Fund Lifestyle and Wages The job rests significantly ... knowledge to get a hedge fund job in the first place. Getting into Hedge Funds Out of College Most hedge ...
  • I hate the living sh*t out of my job as a current salesman. I hate sales with a burning passion. I need out. Please help. before taxes with commission. I'm 26 years old, and have been working in sales for 1.5 years. My job ... is in inside sales, so I mostly work from the office and sell via the phone. On the plus, I only work ... lucrative job for a much more stressful and demanding and intellectually rewarding career. I want something ...
  • Institutional Sales Analyst Job Description and Overview a look at how a trade works from the sales perspective: The Life of the Trade: The Sales Perspective The ... group and the corporate finance group.) As we can see from this breakdown, the sales department stands ... corporate finance or research, less stress than in trading, and a nice blend of travel and off
  • Sales- debunking 8 MYTHS (From a veteran) I read a lot of misleading information regarding sales jobs in banks on this forum recently (I am ... knick accounts yourself from weak sales people- and it will be good, and you will learn to like it. Now ... you hire two sales guy for the same job- and you have them fight over during a year and fire the ...
  • More suggestions...

I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Quick update: I'm in the final round of a wealth advisory role at a BB. I've spoken to some people who have done it and obviously if you are not placed in the right group it is very difficult to build a multi-million dollar book in the time frame they want.

On the one hand it would allow me to have a background at a BB, licenses, sales experience. I'm thinking this can transfer to a sales role in within institutional sales as this is my long term goal. I'm really not sure I'd be able to move to that division (IS) within that BB from what I've been told, but I'd imagine it would help my chances of moving to a different company given the licenses, name, and experience.

 

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