Aspiring Bankers Navigate Career Hurdles
Individuals seeking careers in investment banking and commercial credit face challenges including perceived university disadvantage, evolving role expectations, and difficulty transitioning into desired roles like credit analyst. Many feel pressure to broaden their skillset and demonstrate adaptability to succeed in a competitive landscape. The path to desired roles often involves persistence and external applications.
SOURCES (60)
“27F Indian banking professional with ~4–6 YOE, currently in India. I have an engineering + MBA degree from a good Indian university, with a ~3.1/4 GPA. My current experience spans 2 BB American banks (think GS/JPM/Citi/BofA/MS) across corporate banking deal support and inhouse treasury. I’m…”
“The structure for the first few weeks is pretty set out, make effort to meet your “line manager” (people leader at Deloitte), and just build a relationship with your cohort. Everyone you see as “senior” is mostly just some 25 year old who also is still figuring it out, they’re not as scary as you might think. If you can find out what engagements you are going to be on, reach out to some Seniors/Assistant Managers on those jobs and introduce yourself. Overall, it feels super overwhelming when you”
“retail banking helps a bit but networking, cfa and lateral moves matter more, especially now when finding any decent entry job is a slog”
“I’m a freshman in college looking for a career in high finance. I’m willing to work hard and long hours and destroy mental health in order to make my future family happy and so that my wife can stay home with kids. I currently am on track to double major in data analysis and finance / wealth planning (both concentrations in BBA) and then hopefully get a masters in some type of quant finance, maybe even a PhD if I’m lucky. I don’t know what internships to get or apply for, if I even could, or how”
“I'm currently a Chartered Account with 1.5 years of PQE in Statutory Audit (Financial services) in a mid sized firm. I'm keen on moving into Strategy/Management Consulting or Strategy Role in the Industry. Currently I haven't been able to transition into these roles and have considered moving into Transaction Advisory and then maybe do an MBA. Will doing an MBA really help in this regard or should I just continue to gain work experience? submitted by /u/Wise_Parfait6919 [”
“23M from a major EU country. I recently finished an internship at a large European bank, in an investment-related team. During the internship I became increasingly interested in trading, and I have now received an offer for an entry-level trading position at the same bank. This is a great opportunity for me, especially because breaking into trading seems increasingly difficult these days. The contract is officially for 1 year, but from what I understand the intention is to develop me for the lon”
“Background: I have a bachelors in accounting, 13 years of combined experience in audit, banking consulting at a big 4, and risk management experience at the senior manager level managing directs reports. I’ve stepped away due to family reasons and have the ability to figure out next steps as my husband can support our family. I live in Charlotte NC and really don’t want to work for a large banking corporation. I’ve considered going back to school and have always thought about psychology but clin”
“Hello I’m currently a student at a non target university studying accounting and finance and have a real passion for financial markets especially trading. I understand that it is a hard area to break into but I’m trying as hard as possible to get a chance. I participate in my student fund, volunteer for economic research projects, get a couple days within the big4 and recently take up treasury duties for the cricket team. I am also working on python projects and reading books on financial market”
“Heard this year was extra bad, as low as 50%. Is that for real? submitted by /u/Eastwest251 [link] [comments]”
“I am a student at a university doing b. Com strategic finance (cma integrated) . Want to break in consltuancy. Can anyone tell me how the start and how should I mold myself for that career and I want to go for masters in Europe and work there. Plss give me some advice submitted by /u/Pretty-Vehicle4287 [link] [comments]”
“Hi, I am a recent post grad and a fresher who's joined a global investment bank in finance and accounts division. The thing is - the pay is good, the culture is good, and the team is good too. The problem is the work - the quality of it, since I am in the GCC arm, the work is less challenging - it's mostly data cleaning, data verification and data upload using their in-house systems, which make things very easy for you. I am not sure if this is the right thing to keep pursuing or if I am”
“Is questrom, BUs business school, good as an undergrad as a pipeline to high paying finance careers? submitted by /u/LateBoysenberry6353 [link] [comments]”
“Hello everyone, I’m looking for some advice and opinions on how I can move forward in my career. I’m currently working at Citi in India and have around 2 years of experience in Risk & Control, primarily in control testing. My role involves monitoring controls, assessing their effectiveness, and performing testing to ensure that the controls are working as intended. I’m looking to build my skills and eventually move into a better role/company within the Risk, Control Testing, Operational Risk”
“You could look for AP or bank administrator roles. AR maybe but less exposure to recs and journal entries. Then pivot to a finance analyst role once you have the basics down.”
“Heading to a top boutique (CVP/QAT/PJT) post-MBA and wanted to provide some perspectives of banking versus consulting given that recruiting season is about to start. For context, I was in consulting at a decent firm (LEK, S&, Kearney, Deloitte, OW) for quite a while pre-MBA. If you're prioritizing for job security (defined as not getting fired/laid off and subsequently finding a new job), I'm of the belief investment banking is superior for a few reasons: There's a lot fewer bank”
“FRM is most sought after risk management certification in banking industry. FRM supplementing CFA could get you a better platform assuming you want to continue in banking sector.”
“Hey guys, I’m currently a freshman taking up Financial Management at UST. My long-term goal is to work in high finance (Private Credit/Infrastructure PE) on Wall Street. To get there, I know I need a prestigious pre-MBA profile to get into an M7 business school (Harvard/Wharton). My current strategy is to target McKinsey, BCG, Bain (MBB), or global front-office/regional roles at J.P. Morgan or Goldman Sachs here in Manila right after graduation. Since UST is generally a non-target school for the”
“Currently working at a major prime in Program Finance; realistically, do I have a shot at transitioning into other industries? In other words, is this an untraditional background or am I overthinking this. submitted by /u/ImmortalAce8492 [link] [comments]”
“I am 21M recently completed my bachelor’s in com sci(7.7 cgpa 85% in my 10th & 70% in 12th). But to be honest I don’t have much interest in tech role. I have knowledge of java, basic dsa to get job at a startup or service based company. I always wanted to make a career in finance such as Risk Management or Investment Banking. I want your honest brutal reality check, I am willing to put as much hard work as it requires. I am open to all suggestions such as doing an MBA in India or abroad(but”
“So for context I've been set for around 4 years in the belief I wanted to go into business as an investment banker. In all honesty, the money drew me in as well as the idea of living in a big city for me work, as places like nyc specialize in business. Ive made choices in my education to cater towards being a banker, but not any that would be detrimental if I decided to switch to a different career. I was thinking last night and was just feeling so angry ( for context, a big part of my life”
“Long story short, I am covering domestic markets in my job, but there has been a restructuring at my bank, bringing us under another department which has proven really unpopular as they hold a lot of power over us and are tone deaf to concerns. Attrition has touched record highs. Team size has reduced from 28 to 13 over past year. My VP Managers have taken a team transfer to another team because they couldn't tolerate the stakeholders. Having said that, its a really nice profile with excelle”
“If the job title is universal banker, would it be appropriate to change it to consumer & small business banker. That is the segment the job role is in, but have gotten questions during interviews about what exactly I do. submitted by /u/Enough_Ad8952 [link] [comments]”
“I’m a rising senior with an expected graduation of May 2027. I’ve been working in finance already full time but of course the degree will open many doors to higher paying roles. When should I start applying to jobs, and how do I find jobs that are hiring students and not expecting an immediate start? submitted by /u/Conventions [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone, I'm a university student trying to build a serious career in finance/investing/business , and I'm at the stage where I have a lot of ambition but also a lot of questions. I don't want to spend the next few years blindly collecting certificates and making random projects just to fill my CV. I want to learn from someone who's actually been there — whether you're in IB, PE, asset management, trading, quant, or you've built your own business. I'm mainly look”
“Long story short, I studied finance in college but due to weird personal circumstances I was only able to do one internship in at a business management firm. I moved to the states from abroad for college, and I didn't really understand how things work here. I've done some administrative roles since then and currently work at an insurance company. I feel like I'm wasting my potential and that I could be doing more. Is there any way I can pivot to a financial analyst role with basicall”
“I currently go to an average state school and I was wondering if I should study accounting or Finance with my information systems major. There are a lot of jobs in my area for financial analyst I would say more than accounting jobs where I live but I heard that it's not good to go to school for finance unless you go to one of the top schools. I'm not looking to go into investment banking or anything but I really do want to become a financial analyst or I wouldn't mind being an accoun”
“Title, i havent decided what i want to do between the two yet (quant finance is obviously the much better paying career but i dont have a background in coding), therefore is there any uni degree where i can pivot towards IB if at the end of my first year i realise im not cut out for this? Ive shortlisted warwick MMathStat but warwick is nowhere near as elite as LSE for IB, but destroys is for quant. Does anyone know what degrees/universities i should be applying to? UCAS deadline is 13th jan so”
“Hi everyone, I'm 21F and recently graduated with a B.Com. I want to build my career in finance, specifically in areas like Private Equity, Venture Capital, Investment Banking, Merchant Banking, Consulting, or Equity/Debt Research. I know these aren't entry-level roles for a fresher, so I'm trying to figure out where to start. My goal right now is to get an internship that helps me build real skills and eventually move toward these fields. The problem is that I don't have certific”
“Hi everyone, I'm 21F and recently graduated with a B.Com. I want to build my career in finance, specifically in areas like Private Equity, Venture Capital, Investment Banking, Merchant Banking, Consulting, or Equity/Debt Research. I know these aren't entry-level roles for a fresher, so I'm trying to figure out where to start. My goal right now is to get an internship that helps me build real skills and eventually move toward these fields. The problem is that I don't have certific”
“I'm planning on applying for an MBA next year and currently working at a tier 2 strategy consulting firm. I've looked into the profiles of various "industry leaders" I've read about and come across from the work I've done in the sector my consulting group is focused on, and literally so many of them have the exact same early career history. Investment banking at some prestigious bank and then private equity at a megafund or something adjacent like leveraged finance at a”
“I’m in my 1st year of university and am doing Electrical engineering at a top 5 uni for the subject and have started looking into pivoting in to the field of finance, but have no clue where to start. Does anyone have any tips/advice what to do for a CV or any general advice on it all. submitted by /u/Icy-Form-6023 [link] [comments]”
“I've been on the fence about really changing my career path. I went to school for audio engineering been doing it for 10 years but that industry is slowly dying. I started daytrading/investing about 6 years ago and what turned into a hobby I want to make into a new career. I have tried Achiveable and liked their format but never finished the course or took the test. I guess I'm asking, how many of you changed your career after taking the SIE? And if you're a novice that passed, was i”
“I completed a social science degree at the University of Toronto. I was pretty law school focused in undergrad, but I've recently been interested in a career in sales and trading. So I'm wondering which, if any, MiM offerings could land me in Sales and Trading despite my background (no financial internships, <1 year WE in research). I'm currently looking at applying to Duke, Georgetown, Kellogg, Booth, LBS, Imperial, and LSE. I understand that Duke has the +1 year MBA option for t”
“I've been doing B2B sales for about 3 years at a small company making 52k a year. I am 23 and I don't have a college degree but I want to get into a finance type job. I have an interview set up with Wells Fargo to be a Personal Banker soon. From what I have been reading it seems like you NEED a degree to get into an actual good position at a bank. Would I be able to work my way up into a high paying position at a bank without a degree or would I be wasting my time? Where could I realisti”
“I am currently 25 working as a senior data/business/credit analyst at a bank. I want to somehow get into to tech but career switches seem almost impossible unless you get lucky. How should I go about this? submitted by /u/Sorry-Eggplant-9553 [link] [comments]”
“Hi, Looking for advice based on my profile: I’m an Indian 22M, currently a data analyst at S&P Global working with data research in M&A deals. I’ve got a little over a year of work experience (~15 months) at my current role. I’ve got a couple of awards within my team for leadership, performance, as well as side projects involving single-handedly building AI tools for my team. I plan to use this in my SOP to help the professional case. I’m aiming for a career in M&A advisory at a Euro”
“Background: Pre-final year, GPA 8.5/10 with upward growth, technical skillset (Python/SQL/Modeling). Target: Corporate Finance / FP&A / Boutique Advisory internships. End Goal: Gaining 1–2 solid finance internships before applying to MiM / MFA. Specific Question: How should I frame software/data projects on a finance CV, and what off-cycle outreach strategy works best? submitted by /u/Proper-Client7882 [link] [comments]”
“Hello, looking for some career advice. I am a 24 year old woman working in the finance field and have been at my current job for 3 years. I currently work in Investment Strategy in a data analyst role and I make base salary 83k with a 10% bonus (91.3k total). I recently applied to a Process Analyst role in Private Investments at my work because the job listing sounded like what I enjoy and I'd most likely be making 100k with a larger bonus and I am torn after some feedback I heard from indiv”
“my profile really quickly: bachelor and master: management and tech (comp sci minor) 2 years of internship at an FMCG, digital strategy 1.5 years business strat. & analytics at an american bluechip 2 years of strategy analyst (business side, market sizing, m&a, competitive strategy etc.) at the same FMCG company, about to be senior, and then corporate strategy manager or competitive int. manager (both working directly with leadership teams) role but these roles are need-based and not dir”
“I’d still dress professional, you’re better off being over dressed than under dressed”
“I have a Bachelors in Finance and Insurances and am also doing an MSc in Organization and Management as a working student (working full time and studying part - time). I wanna work for a steel recycling industrial and wanna work on their treasury departement. I have no experience in this role, but I have experience in credit insurance (I had an underwriting internship) where I conducted short term credit (liquidity) analyses for commercial counterparties. I wanna adequately prepare for the job i”
“I have done mechatronics engineering (In Australia) for couple of years and got academic misconduct for 8 of the courses. And just switched to finance completely. Since I got the misconduct just after the switch, I am just wondering if I should stay in finance (say I did well-high GPAs from now with 2.5 years to go; am I looking alright for any finance jobs? Or would it be better to just change to chemical engineering which I like better than mechatronics and also that engineering looks less on”
“I (M24 USA) intend on transitioning into Big 4 PA from an entirely different industry. I have a BA in economics with limited accounting experience. I’m currently taking the usual accounting courses at a local community college. Would a MAcc be worth it to break in? I know it isn’t highly valued in this day and age but it seems like the easiest pathway into PA for someone like me. I do intend on becoming licensed. Anyone take a similar path or have any insight? submitted by /u/hneymoo”
“I'm 19 and work as the Financial Controller for a small UK business. I came into the role very young and, to be honest I've already learned a huge amount by being thrown into situations I had absolutely no experience dealing with. We are currently going through a pretty serious cash flow crisis and I'm interested in hearing from people who have dealt with similar situations. Particularly experienced Financial Controllers, CFOs, accountants or business owners. Obviously I can't gi”
“I'm 19 and work as the Financial Controller for a small UK business. I came into the role very young and, to be honest I've already learned a huge amount by being thrown into situations I had absolutely no experience dealing with. We are currently going through a pretty serious cash flow crisis and I'm interested in hearing from people who have dealt with similar situations. Particularly experienced Financial Controllers, CFOs, accountants or business owners. Obviously I can't gi”
“Hello everyone, im 17, Egyptian, currently finishing high school and planning to attend university in Germany. Long term i’d strongly prefer to live and work in the US. I’m deciding between Tech (AI/ML engineering) and high finance (primarily IB → PE/HF). I’m somewhat more passionate about finance, but I’ve heard that US immigration is much harder in finance than tech—not just H-1B, but sponsorship overall across other visas My biggest concern is entering IB in Germany, and then hitting a wall w”
“Currently btech final year. Really interested in finance and banking . What r the opportunity and scope ? submitted by /u/taken__25 [link] [comments]”
“You’re already recruiting the right persona, but I’d avoid making the beta 10 unrelated students. Pick 3–5 existing finance/consulting communities, investment banking clubs, consulting clubs, finance societies, business fraternities, and give each a small cohort with a unique invite path. Track onboarding, first outreach created/sent, follow-up completion, and D7 return by group. You’ll learn not only whether the product works, but which community is the repeatable acquisition wedge. I built Swa”
“I am an Assistant Manager working in a Public Sector Bank. I have an experience of 3years in Counter operations and transaction management etc. and 3 years as a Credit Officer. The work culture here is very toxic with very less backend technical support and increasing pressure in selling Third party products. I feel like I'm earning very less comparably. Having minimum to no family life. No work life balance. What are the options I have to migrate from India to a country where it values work”
“Ok so I know the job market is horrible out there, but I recently graduated with a degree in managerial economics, did internships all three summer and a co-op, at one of the top 5 assets management firms. I have got reached out from 8 companies for a interview but then got later rejected because they don’t sponsor visa, is there really anything else that I can that will help me get a job. I just did an internship at the same company for this summer and I previously did a co-op( they did offer m”
“Thinking of going to Tuck and pivot to Investment banking but I'm concerned about the fact that Tuck is a majorly consulting school and I'm worried about the job prospects overall. submitted by /u/Adamcyberpunked [link] [comments]”
“I have an engineering degree was looking for a job somehow became a business administrator and then moved into credit control and risk which is what I do now I just got offered a 12 week investment banking internship yesterday. I’m someone new to all this finance career stuff I was not planning on working in this industry so I don’t really know the specifics of finance. what would be the next steps you guys would recommend? submitted by /u/justlooking772 [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone, I’m an Industrial Engineering graduate from the University of Chile (known locally as "Beauchef", recognized as a top rigorous STEM program in Latin America). My mid-to-long-term career goal is to break into Investment Banking (IB) in the US or Switzerland, targeting a total compensation of $200k+ USD/year (roughly equivalent to 8M–10M+ CLP back home). Given my background, I’ve put together a strategic roadmap and want to get feedback from folks currently working in US/Glo”
“Currently in college and want to get ahead in finance. Is there anything I can apply to online or online courses where I could achieve titles or awards that I can put on my resume and also help me better understand finance. I am already working on getting towards a funded account and also building code to help with crypto wallets, but I want to have awards to show the potential jobs that I am hard working and serious about my career. Any cool titles or websites or things I can apply for or onlin”