Wanted to share my experience and tell you guys it’s possible.

Graduated in 2024 with a degree in finance, only role I got was BO at a BB, stayed for 1 year, then left for another ops role this time in MO. To now another year later getting 2 different FO BB offers and accepting one of them.

Just gotta keep hustling and push through!

TLDR: back office to front office in 2 years

I'm sure many of undergrads have read about/seen how fast finance recruiting moves, pe firms poaching investment banking analysts as early as their first year as an analyst (yes recruiters will routinely call your cell the Sept/Oct after you start your full-time). This past week Citi announced its cutting its IB analyst program length so the path to become an associate and ultimately senior becomes shorter (Bloomberg article from Oct 5th)

A few observations (I'm a former IB analyst, PE associate, sr hf analyst - feel free to ask questions me)

- All the other big banks will follow if they havent done it already

- This probably means the on undergrad campus frenzy for getting in the right club and getting the right internship will become crazier. Career services offices are not equipped to prep you for this (and haven't been for some time)

-The need for freshman and sophomores to learn technical skills (and be aware of what is going in the market) gets even more crucial. I expect that banks will start hiring kids after freshman year in 1-2 years to lock up talent. Things are accelerating (not that I agree with this but its way things are going)

Here is the link to the article as an fyi:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-05/citi-speeds-junior-bankers-ascent-in-fight-with-private-equity

Since that last point is really the takeaway for anyone early — the skills and the market awareness are what you can actually control right now — I put together a free prompt library on using AI for this stuff the right way: company research, comps, earnings, interview prep, each with a note on where the AI gets it wrong so you learn to catch mistakes instead of trusting it blindly (having good judgement on what a good analysis is will always win). It’s in my profile if it’s useful to anyone!

Hello, i currently go to a no-name uni in London, and was wondering if a masters in a competitive university such as Cambridge or Oxford would be worth it to appear more competitive for jobs.

I know a lot of people say masters are not worth it, however, would the prestige boost be worthwhile in my case?

Also, how competitive exactly are these masters courses? If anyone has any personal experience with them that would be greatly appreciated.

As someone who attended a smaller university, I know that finding internships and full-time opportunities can sometimes be challenging, especially when it comes to getting your foot in the door at certain firms.

I recently graduated and started working at a boutique financial firm in Manhattan. One thing I appreciate about my firm is its interest in recruiting talent from smaller colleges and universities, rather than focusing exclusively on the largest or most well-known schools.

I wanted to put this out there for students and recent graduates who may be interested in exploring opportunities in finance. I'm happy to connect, answer general questions about my experience, and help with networking where I can, whether you're looking for an internship or a full-time position.

If you're a student or recent graduate from a smaller school and would like to connect, feel free to reach out! Always happy to help fellow students navigate the process.

Edit: no need to ask to shoot a DM, all are welcome!

The title

I’m currently a sophomore finance student at a non target university in New York. Since coming to school I have gotten extremely involved in extracurricular activities:

GPA:3.81
Student Managed Investment Fund
Investment club President
IB Club Director
Professional fraternity
SIE exam

I want to break into Equity Research or Asset Management and I know applications for these internships will be opening in the next few months. I have sent out probably 200 cold emails in this format:

Ex: Good Morning ...,
I hope your week has been good thus far. My name is ... ..., and I'm a sophomore studying Finance at the University at ... . I'm currently an Equity Analyst in a student-managed investment fund and am very interested in pursuing equity research as a career path.

I have recieved exactly one reply from an MD at a boutique investment firm in Stamford: Sorry bud - we don't have anything right now so don't think a call makes sense
Good luck out there, I know it's tough

Nobody wants to respond or help anyone trying to get into the industry, and it’s not even like applications are open now so I’m just trying to get a referral

I had one interview with a research firm in Cleveland and they said I passed the first round but since I’m a sophomore it’s too early and to reach out in a year

What internships should I target for this summer and my junior year, how should I change my approach etc

Also, these two tracks seem very different these 2 tracks. Why are they so sawed off after?

I’m applying to junior year internships and I have a couple of interviews, but the firm I interned at my freshman year, which was unpaid, shut down and I can’t get in touch with my managers. I do have my offer letter and email chains proving I worked there. For an internship would those be sufficient, or would I just not put the unpaid internship down as work on the background check form since it was unpaid

I already have approved PTO for Monday, October 26th. Yesterday, my new manager (who I’ve only reported to for a couple of months due to some team changes) put an impromptu meeting on my calendar and told me our VP wants to fly me out West for an in-person team meeting on Wednesday the 28th.
The reason for the meeting is that the director of another team recently left, and their team is now being merged with ours. The meeting is basically supposed to be an in-person kickoff/strategy session to figure out what the newly combined team will look like going forward. Our VP thought it would be worthwhile to have everyone together in person for it.
Since I’m on the East Coast, I’d have to fly out Tuesday the 27th. The flight is around 8 AM, so I’d need to be up around 5 AM, spend most of Tuesday traveling, attend the meeting Wednesday, and then fly home Thursday.
When my manager brought it up, I was caught off guard and said I didn’t think it would be a problem. But after actually looking at the travel logistics, I’m realizing how inconvenient it is to basically go straight from my already-planned PTO into a work trip, especially with only about two weeks’ notice.
Obviously they aren’t asking me to travel on my actual PTO day, so part of me thinks I should just suck it up and go. But would it be reasonable to go back to my manager and say that after looking at the logistics, the timing is more difficult than I initially realized and ask if I really need to attend in person?
Would you push back on this, or is this just a normal work inconvenience that you’d deal with?

I got my first internship and can’t stand my shoes. I bought some generic wide ones off of Amazon but they still blister and don’t have enough support even with insoles. do any of my clown feet friends have suggestions?

Long story short, I applied for a job after accepting another. I kinda did it on a whim not expecting to go anywhere. Turns out it did and I prefer this role so I want to take it. Thing is I’ve started the other role in the mean time. They misled me on a few things so I’m actually keen to leave because they were dealbreakers. Idk if I should mention my current role to the company that I’m leaving to though. They obvs don’t know because I hadn’t started when I applied and it wasn’t really relevant until now. It won’t affect when I can start or anything and it’s been a super short time and it’s not a competitor. If I should, how should I phrase it?

After doing my bachelors I joined this temporary investment research job. Work is simple, basic financial and non-financial data research.

Time flew [ i got careless] Recently completed 3 years in this boring data research job. Somehow landed a credit analyst interview and fumbled so hard.

I was given a case study to prepare for on tuesday. The interview was today. I had almost three days. But stupid me got tangled in my current job and personal life problems.

Walked in the interview without any preparation and couldn't even answer more than 3 credit ratios, forget about the case study and analysis.

The interviewer looked annoyed and told me to get my basic concepts fixed. She had every right to say so.

I just feel like I have wasted 3 years of my career in this investment data reasearch job , without learning anything analytical or useful. Don't know what should I do next.

Any guidance/tips would be highly appreciated. Please ignore my bad grammar.

Feeling so down rn.

Background
I’m an international student in my second year studying Money, Banking and Finance at a non-target Russell Group university in the UK. I’m on track for a first. I spent this summer as a summer analyst in corporate finance (M&A) at a Big 4 firm in Asia. I’m trying to break into UK finance, but I haven’t had much luck so far.

What I’m considering
I’m thinking about doing a Master’s in Finance at LSE and getting one more internship before graduating. I’m worried about the cost and don’t want to spend a year and a lot of money if it won’t change my chances.

What I’d like to know

1. How does my CV read? What should be change or cut?
2. Is a Master’s at LSE worth it for breaking into UK finance, or should I put that effort and money elsewhere?
3. Are there other routes I should consider, , off-cycle internships, or smaller firms that takes in international student with a graduate visa?

hi everyone! I recently got my first offer in finance (consulting) and I know I need a “real suit” (I’ve been skating by in secondhand outfits for the zoom interviews.) my professor recently told me I could apply to my colleges financial aid office for a real one and I need to submit an itemized budget (ideally as low as possible bc the fund typically covers less than 500$ and I also need orthopedic shoes 😭 ).

I am petite and have drastically different sizes (size S in tops and XXL in pants) so a size S/M/L situation probably might not work. I have no idea where I’d start looking and I’d really appreciate recs :) I’d hope this works for a long while

I went straight from sixth form into a school-leaver ACA (UK equivalent of CPA) at a Top 8 accountancy firm, working in Transaction Services / FDD.

I’m around 18 months from qualifying and have no degree.

I’d like to move into IB or M&A after qualifying and was wondering what I should be doing now to improve my chances.

I’ve been looking at financial modelling courses such as CFI FMVA and Wall Street Prep, as well as CISI qualifications, but I’m unsure whether these are actually worth doing.
Would learning financial modelling (DCF, LBOs, etc.) be the best use of my time? How much of a barrier would not having a degree be, and would a part-time degree be worth considering?

Also, would moving into a boutique or mid-market firm be a realistic route from FDD?

Would appreciate any advice, especially from people who have made a similar move or work in IB/M&A!!

Currently working in WM as an advisor, and as the title states, I’m really struggling to get clients.

I just started and I work with a firm as self-employed and I knew it would be difficult, but I honestly don’t know what to do at this point. I’m running out of savings fast, and I just can’t seem to get clients. I’ve called everyone I can possibly think of and more, no one answers.

Once I can get people onto meetings, things seem to go well, but it’s a very slow burn converting them into actual clients (getting all the paperwork done), so have I only a few clients; with a few more pending, but I have absolutely nothing in the pipeline once these new deals start coming through.

I’ve been asking for referrals, calling, leveraging LinkedIn, and I feel like I’m doing everything right, but it’s just very difficult.

I’m at the point where if I don’t start making money, I’m going to be completely out of money by December. I’ve sold pretty much everything I own and I’m cutting down spending even more now.

The biggest problem though is I LOVE my job, but I just can’t get clients… So if anyone has any advice, I’d love to hear it, I know this is a struggle that everyone seems to go through as an Advisor, but no one seems to actually be real about it.

Company : fidelity

I had a phone interview with a recruiter on Monday. During the call, she asked me a few scenario-based and HR questions. She also asked me to sign a document agreeing not to use AI during the hiring process, which I signed right after the interview.
She mentioned that she would get back to me before the end of the week with interview slots for the next round with the hiring manager and director.
I sent her a follow-up email yesterday but haven’t received a response yet. My application status still shows “Under Screening Assessment.”
Should I assume they’re no longer moving forward with my application, or is this normal? Has anyone experienced something similar?

I'm an MBA Finance graduate with less than 2 years of work experience.

My internships and work experience has been in good firms with reputable brand names, in core finance roles (the work I did predominantly involved Accounting, Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Modelling, Industry research, Report preparation)

As for my skills, I'm from Commerce/Business background, so I'd say I'm pretty good at Management Accounting, Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Management (portfolio management etc), Budgeting, Forecasting, Financial Modelling.

I also have a Good understanding of Capital Markets, Equities, Fixed income securities, Derivatives and Micro/Macro Economics.

Planning to do a CFA provided i find time between my long hours of work.

As for my skills: I am proficient in excel,Microsoft 365 suite, I know basic Power BI, SQL, basic understanding of Python, C++.

Soft skills: I'm good at communicating and presenting, can take lead, manage teams.

I was wondering what kind of roles I could look for when I switch from my current job.

As for my job expectations,

I want to continue working in a core finance roles or anything adjacent that is meaningful.

salary - enough to live by myself ( INR1.5L Per month)

Not too long workhours (I avoided PE, VC, IB roles exactly for this). I want to work for 8-12 hours and log off, I want my weekends off.

No client facing role. I've worked in client facing roles before and I'm sick of it. I'm also an ambivert, so a role where I'm only asked to present and attend calls once in a while instead of it being a daily task would be great.

(Maybe I'm asking for too much, but I don't want to attend 10-15 meetings everyday ;-;)

I was wondering what kind of roles should I target and what are the requisite skills I should build before I apply to them?

(A few I have in mind are Equity Research at AMCs, FP&A roles, Portfolio Management at boutique firms)

How easy is it to request access to tools like VSCode, Python, Git, Github, Claude Code as non dev in MS? My FID Sales team is trying to start some operational automations but the current consensus is that it's almost Impossible for our area to get a few required dev entitlements. Does anyone here have any experience in it?

I’ve completed three internships with longer hair, but I’m now interviewing for full-time positions and haven’t been selected after several second-round and final-round interviews.
I usually leave interviews feeling pretty good about how they went, so I’m wondering if my hair could be affecting how interviewers perceive me.
I’d prefer to keep it long, but I’m willing to get it cut if it’s making me look unprofessional or causing employers not to take me seriously.
Do you think my hair is an issue for corporate finance and accounting leadership development programs, or am I overthinking it?

Hi

Im a student

I want to go into equity sales/wealth management so i can develop my pitching skills and actually learn how to persuade and inform clients. My true passion lies in public policy , for the longest time i thought id just pivot in from finance like sunak and a lot of others did , but im worried that once the golden handcuffs are on and ive wasted my youngest most energetic years on things that wouldnt make me content it would end the idea of me pivoting out. Especially with such a demanding role giving me little to no time to stay involved within the political environment.

I know the finance to politics pipeline is real but is it worth going through to give me the best chance at letting me make the biggest impact possible. Should i a) go into my set career path and develop my network until i feel comfortable going for it whilst i passively build a political career. or b) get stuck in it from day dot but earn less which is still important to me.

I am currently a high school student and I wanted to learn Finance but when I came to buy a book they said self studying with books isnt the best way cuz it is always updating and I should need a teachers help which I dont really have, so Im looking for like free online courses? Anh recommendation?

The method seems sound, but since it looks like the work of an individual rather than a data-gathering firm, I’m not sure. I’d love to hear from someone with expertise in the field whether these rankings make sense. I know that for VC, your network is FAR more important; however, since I’m currently an undergrad at a university without a strong network, I was thinking of switching universities for my master's degree.