Veteran and Non-Target MBA seeking finance opportunity

[Background] Hi everyone, former Army, BA from a small Lib Arts, and recent MBA grad from a non-target. As you might be able to tell, I missed standard recruiting for finance opportunities for both banking and consulting. Spent a little too much time "finding myself" in the first year of my program only to realize banking and consulting is what I should have targeted upon program acceptance back in March 2017 before an August 2017 program start date (f**k'n rookie status, I know).

[Last 2 Years] Since the Army and starting my MBA program,I had an internship in business development with a small tech firm, followed by a real estate investment analyst role with a small market research and transaction advisory firm. Currently targeting banking, but pretty open to most any opportunities at this time because my runway is getting shorter by the day, and my general tolerance for risk is dwindling as well.

[Since August 2019] I've been networking and applying for positions since August 2019, but most recently had an opportunity fall through in December 2019. Since last month, I have been back to networking and applying as fast and hard as possible. However, feeling like I'm not making as much progress as I should be up to this point. My professional goals transpired by Fall 2018 (when it was too late for traditional recruiting) and I am currently feeling like I might have to settle for something I don't want just to create some kind of income stream. In addition, I signed up for the CFA level 1 too help convey my seriousness to recruiters, anyone in finance, and to honestly round out my skill set and reinforce knowledge and awareness.

[What I'm seeking] I'm seeking a mentor who can help me with:

-Realistic opportunities (I am primarily interested in Equity Research and Valuation) based on my existing and developing skill set(s) (relative to industry and roles). Very open to entry level positions (assuming the position has the right trajectory and growth opportunities).

-Effective networking to ultimately help me land a series of interviews for positions that I could realistically receive offers from, and later perform the job (recognizing that there's some stretch associated with any new role).

-Identify any other resources geared for military veterans hoping to work in finance.


I appreciate anyone who took the time to review and I sincerely welcome any and all feedback from anyone who can provided targeted and supportive advice.

Many thanks!

1 Comments
 

Maxime natus dolore dolorem aut reprehenderit eos ducimus iste. Ullam sit unde perspiciatis mollitia aperiam recusandae. Tempora quaerat voluptates explicabo molestiae nam. Quisquam et iusto illum et.

Ab dolor nesciunt vel at est est. Dolores delectus voluptatem nam vitae et magnam explicabo voluptas. Hic veritatis pariatur quae hic ad optio. Qui voluptatem in impedit rem aperiam.

Nihil eos voluptate expedita qui. Unde modi minima quis aut qui. Aliquid culpa consequatur quasi voluptatem mollitia aliquam magnam.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”