Transition to MM/BB M&A IB

Hi. I'm new to WSO but have found my preliminary review of the site and forum to be extremely helpful thus far. I'm in a bit of a predicament in my career and at this point looking to make a change. Since graduating college in 2014, I've been working at a hybrid consulting/M&A advisory shop 2.5 hours outside of NYC. Over the last two years my experience has been BROAD but very helpful as the boutique nature of the firm gave me great exposure to the local C-Suite and hands on project management skills. My experience includes both buy- and sell-side engagements as well as focused strategic advisory projects. Typical client size ranges from early-stage start-ups to $250 mm mature businesses. Deal flow experience has been minimal (1 Corp. Dev. project, 1 buy-side, 1 sell-side). On the other hand, I've conducted many more strategic engagements with clients over the years (i.e. strategic planning).

My current firm casts a wide net working with companies at different stages across different product lines and industries. I'm looking for my next gig and would like to have more focus moving forward. I've found the banking side to be much more exciting and value adding than consulting and have decided to focus my networking and job search around that.

I would appreciate any advice/comparable real-world experience that can be shared with others in a similar position as myself.