Hello - I currently work as a ratings associate within the structured finance group at one of the Big 3 (S&P, Moody’s and fitch) rating agencies. What would be the exit opportunities for this role? Thanks in advance

Im a lead financial analyst at a large SaaS company and am doing well. I feel like I have a solid understanding of the more technical sides of the business etc., but could probably use some help with help building relationships. I feel like I have good relationships with everyone since I’m relatively personable and am precise with my work, but I don’t really feel like I have anything in common with my peers outside of working in finance. Like when we have lunch and everyone is talking about football, golf, or some random Netflix show, I don’t really have a ton to contribute. I could probably learn some shit about these things to fit in, but would probably feel a bit icky about myself. Anyway, just curious if anyone else has had similar issues in the past.

In finance, do employers value accelerated degrees that happen online such as ones from WGU and Purdue University?

Also if these universities offer the same type of undergraduate and masters degrees, is it better to invest more there instead of an actual 4 year institution?

Per the title, I’ve got a PhD in geophysics and work as a computational geophysicist at a national lab. Lots of data analysis, relationship investigating and fitting, and publications, problem solving, you name it. Very dynamic work.

Now, it suffers in pay given how much work is being done. I want to pivot into another industry using my PhD, but I was curious to the perspectives and advice of everyone here given my background.

Thanks a bunch for everyone’s input.

This is a very broad question so I’ll give a little bit of my back story and experience in finance. I am 23, I have an MBA in Business administration, SIE, series 7 and 63. In January I will start studying for my series 24 and my window will be opened to take the exam. At my first firm I was living in Florida and worked a commission only job as a stock broker pretty much selling stock, IPO’s and other alternative investments while getting all of my licenses. I was there for one year and 3 months. I recently got a new position that I’m 6 months in as a trade desk specialist working in operations in wealth management. I was very good at sales and I miss working in sales a lot. However I struggling at finding a position in finance (outside of financial advisor) that pays a good salary (near $85-100k) with commission within finance and sales. Does anybody have some advice to me as to what direction I should look toward. Thank you.

I am a sophomore at the University of Michigan studying a dual degree in business and aerospace engineering. I have spent the last 3 semesters stacking up credits trying to maintain a solid GPA (should stay around a 3.8 if I don't screw my finals), and thus haven't joined many finance clubs except for a small trading one. I've been pretty set on consulting but the difference in pay is swaying me to recruit for IB, which has application deadlines in about a month for most BB & EB. I have done 0 networking calls and have sparse technical knowledge, but I have decided to try to recruit. I've started to set up calls and begun to look through the interview guides -- I am fairly confident in my ability to create a solid technical foundation in time.

Is this an absolutely ridiculous endeavor? Most people I know recruiting for IB have been involved since second semester freshman year. Should I stop in my tracks and go back to my goal of consulting?

College sophomore trying to beef up my resume so I can apply for commercial banking internships in the future. What are some certifications/ miscellaneous things I can do to have on my resume since I have no internship experience?

I NEED HELP!!! I am a current junior majoring in Finance at a state school in the honors college. I am a 3.8 GPA, President of my business fraternity, and involved in other professional orgs on campus. I also have previous internship experience from last summer. I know the market isn't great and i could have done more networking but I am alarmed by how little response I have gotten from companies. I would love some advice or anyone who has had similar experiences. Out of almost 60 internship apps, I have only gotten 1-3 first round interviews

I’m trying to get an idea about this before I quit. 11/22 was my last check and this Friday the 6th is my new one for the last 2 weeks with deductions for my health insurance. Does anyone know? I’d rather not ask HR to give them any idea i’m leaving.

(Joke title)

I guess I've already had a strange experience with this firm, but at NWM normal experiences are quite out of the ordinary. As a finance major at heart but an OSCM major by choice I had already given up on the idea of doing anything finance but, that will not stop me from mass applying to every finance internship I can get my grubby hands on. I was actually shocked to get a call (not an email) back from a finance company within 24 hours of applying, and from a fortune 200 no less--how exciting. The hiring manager called me and we yapped like best buds for around 20 minutes on the phone, insane rapport. We schedule and off I go preparing for the interview. Today I realized... oh yea, this is an MLM, or at least as close as it gets. Strangely, none of the materials I got said anything about that... about sales or selling... in fact, none of the materials actually mention a single word about any of your responsibilities as an intern, how queer. However, one of my LinkedIn contacts worked there at the same position I applied for. The conversation went as follows:

"Did you work there?"

"Yep"

"Are the rumors true?"

"Yep"

"*Facepalm Emoji*"

Welp. I guess I already bothered setting up the interview and booking a study room so, I might as well go through with it. If it's like a regular interview I'll get experience; if its anything like I've heard maybe the glazing will boost my self esteem--a win-win since I have nothing better to do at that specific moment. Anyways, I was thinking of recording the interview and uploading a transcript (with personal info about me and the manager expunged) since I don't think anyone else has ever done that and to prove once and for all if NWM has the easiest interview of all time. And more importantly, I want to prove if they do or do not ask for contact info about your friends and family during or after the interview.

Anyways the reason I'm posting this beforehand instead of after is because I want to ask you all: are there any questions you're dying to have answered by a NWM hiring manager asked as a naive college student? If there are some good ones I'll write them down and ask at the end of the interview. Also 10 upvotes and I'll try to fit in that Ken Lay is my hero somewhere in there too.

Thanks for reading, have a good Sunday evening/Monday morning!

And before someone thinks it, no, I'm not going to troll or make the manager's time hell, I'm going to treat it as a regular, cordial interview.

I’m a first-year alternative investment analyst in the aircraft leasing space, and things are going great at work. However, my girlfriend will be moving to NYC after her graduate school next May. Since we have a serious relationship and NYC is closer to my family, I plan to move there as well. Given my current skills in modeling, lease review, due diligence, and debt modeling, what kinds of jobs should I look for that would be the best fit?

I’m considering a career in finance (banking, asset management, private equity) and would love to hear from people working in these fields.

How do you find your job? Is it as dynamic and stimulating as it seems? What are the early career stages like, and how does the work evolve as you advance?

Is it a lot of math and analysis (i like it) and mostly about logical skills and reasoning or more about interpersonal/relational skills? Especially for asset management and private equity

Please tell me everything you know about those jobs in finance, this way i can understand better if it is a career that suits me.

I understand there is a lot of haram in the finance space. And i dont want to get into that at all. What i want to ask is that to enter this world of accounting and finance, perhaps working in asset management or analysis. Or becoming an accountant or similar. IS a degree apprenticeship as good or better than a degree?

And heres the main thing. i want to work halal jobs. So i may choose whatever career gives me the best options in this, and especially these days more and more of these jobs are in the GULF, like uae, qatar, Saudi arabia.

So in the long term if i am looking to work for organisations in countries like these, would it be better to get a degree in that it will be more impressive and better than a degree apprenticeship?

Please guys if you have any guidance would be appreciated. I want to stick to the halal, and see opportunity in these muslim middle eastern countries. But i dont want to make a decision now that could hinder me.

So considering this, which option gives me the best chance of success?

Thanks guys.

Currently a senior studying economics (minors in UX and philosophy) @umich and idk how to get a job. Decided against grad school as I am not able to go into that the opportunity cost is too much with my money, and got some interviews for different positions. I was mainly interviewing with card company's (visa and Mastercard) and unfortunately didn't get selected along with about 3 other jobs. Now it's December and I don't know what to do anymore. I just want some type of job in this field because idk what to do after I graduate, I won't have stipends for fin aid and housing anymore

Hi everyone, I'm not super familiar with the finance sector, so apologies if this is not the right place for this question. I've worked in tech over my career, but am in the interview process for a Hudson River Trading company. Does anyone know if they're a good company? Things seem pretty good from initial interviews and from sites like Glassdoor, but those can be gamed of course.

They seems to be in the quant trading space, which I don't know much about. I interviewed at another company in the space like a year ago but we couldn't make numbers work, but that's all I know about the industry haha.

Thanks for any insight!

I just graduated college in May of 2024 with a data science degree from a good university but nothing special. I’m currently working at a bugle bracket bank in asset management as a middle office data analyst doing work that I don’t really enjoy but don’t hate. I’ve wanted to be a trader since the beginning of college and have actively been working towards that goal for the last 3-4 years.

I had 2 non finance internships (although still technical from data science undergrad), pretty solid college accolades but also nothing special, and I worked with exclusively finance professors as a research analyst during the school year. My degree and experiences allow me to have an inclination towards doing somewhat of what a quant would do, but I also just want to leverage those skills in a trading role. Side note, I was told by the head of my program I was one of the better students he’s had in a while and my boss/management at work also have told I’m a high performer and have plans for me to be “important”, although not sure what that means.

I’m not a slouch by any means, but I’m also not a genius which is what I see often from prop shops/market makers and banks in terms of new hires in my career range. What’s my best potential path towards being a trader/quant trader/decision making and risk taking role?

Hi all,

I am a first year analyst at a MM firm in SF. I have honestly really struggled with the experience so far. I find the work interesting and would like to stay in IB for at least two years, but the current fit is just not what I’m looking for. The group is pretty toxic and I work with an associate that makes every second of the day as awful as she can. On top of this, I am originally from the midwest and all of my family, friends, and a long term girlfriend are there so I am extremely set on making a lateral move. I took the job as it was the best option I had at the time and am now somewhat regretting the decision.

Has anyone gone through this process and can give any insight on how they went about it? Will I likely need to wait all the way until bonus season? When is it worth reaching out to network? Any insight would be really appreciated.

Dear Reddit I need a miracle

I don’t believe this will work but I’m out of options. As much as I don’t like to beg I’m in my knees to the community right now. I’ve had the hardest year of my life this year. I’ve been in employed twice for a total of 6 month I’ve applied, got jobs, and lost jobs. It’s not my work ethic I swear on my family name that I work hard and I’m a damn good worker but like Kris beating me down I’ve had to borrow money from friends and family and I do my best to pay them back but whenever I get ahead I get pulled back. I wake up everyday just wanting to cry and give up but that’s not in my nature to quit so I continue to push but the harder I push the heavier things get. I’m 29 and it feels like I’m always going to be this poor broke man who can only provide for a little while until life says that’s enough and takes everything I have away. I don’t live outside my means I eat ramen noodles for weeks on end because if how cheap it is and only drink water no expensive food or drinks I feel like I’ve failed my girlfriend my family my friends but most of all myself. I’ve tried and tried and tried and it feels like I’m destined to be this way but I try not to believe it. As of right now rent is due as well as my phone bill, car note, and registration and I’m feeling hopeless and depressed I got another job yesterday but it’s the least amount of money I’ve ever made my resume isn’t bad I have tons of customer service, retail, and security experience as well as I’m a veteran but some people just don’t view that as enough I guess I plan on going out today and door dashing but I’ve done that in the past and I don’t make good money doing it but I still try. I just need help idk who this will reach if anyone at all but if it does reach the right people please I’m begging you please help if you can you don’t have to if you can’t but if you feel like you can send anything to help please I would greatly appreciate it I don’t know how to put my cash app name in here without it sounding scammy so I’m just going to put it here $DonHill95 please avoid saying anything negative to me not that I would care but if you’re just gonna be an internet bully save yourself sometime that shit doesn’t effect me. If you’re a normal person give me some advice I’m always open to listening and learning and if you’re a person who is in a position and mindset to be able to help then please if you can and are willing to again I would appreciate it very very much. The cash app again is $DonHill95

Thank you in advance whether you give money, advice, or even a prayer. I thank you.

Hello, recently hit a career milestone that has me wondering what’s next.

Background: No degree, was teaching preschool 3 years ago until I became a teller, then got some leadership experience at a tax office, came back to the same big 4 bank as a banker, became a licensed banker this year.

From the start I’ve wanted to obtain securities licenses (got SIE while I was still teaching), and I recently and finally obtained my series 6, 63, and 65. Next role in my track is highest tier banker then FA. I’ve wanted to become an FA since the start but the licenses were more important to me. I don’t love sales but my numbers have always been strong.

Goal I’ve always wanted to end up on the regulatory side of things. SEC, FINRA, or state administrator. It made sense to me a few years back to get some experience in the fields I wanted to help regulate and obtain those licenses. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the opportunity or money but I’m open to getting a degree and I’ve thought about Law or Economics but I work full time and I’m married.

Any advice for how to get into the public sector or to an SRO? Current plan is to keep up the path until I’m at the financial advisor level but I don’t necessarily want to spend a lot of time in that role. Timeline till FA seems to be 2-3+ yrs, but i should cap out as a banker in 1.

I’ll be 25 at the start of the year, don’t care about making crazy money but I want to be doing well enough to support a family.

Role suggestions would be helpful too. I don’t have many risk and compliance connections at my firm just leadership and producers.

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I've been posting here these past couple months (F, late 20s). I got really close to two different wealth management positions but didn't end up getting selected (fourth round for one and superday for other). I am trying hard to pivot from compliance to wealth management. I currently have five years experience in compliance and work for a large institutional firm (think JP).

Below is what I'm actively doing and I would love to get some advice from anyone here:

• currently getting my MBA to up my technical knowledge of finance as I studied poli sci in my undergrad (paid by firm)
• networking or trying to network with people who are in wealth management for roles I'm interested in
• have prepped heavily for interviews why I want to transition to wealth management and how my skills in compliance are transferable (could use advice on the "why")
• passed SIE, now studying for 63.

Has anyone made the jump or transition? I'm kicking myself for not going down this route earlier, I feel insecure being in my mid to late 20s and trying to pivot into this when I'm just in compliance. Thanks all so much!

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I graduated this past May, starting my first rotation (FP&A) at an F500 in its Finance rotation program. I chose this job because Investor Relations, M&A, and Project Finance were also listed as finance focused rotations.

HOWEVER, HR has informed me that those rotations will not work out after all, and our options will be: cost accounting, corporate accounting, ops accounting, tax. If I’m not interested in any of those functions, I could do FP&A again for 1 of my next 2 rotations.

I chose this job over a competing offer because of the FINANCE functions listed as rotation options.

Would it be problematic for me to leave before finishing the rotation program? Will it hinder my career development significantly? If I am to search for other employment, how should I explain why I’m leaving my current company?

I’m leaving on the opposite coast of my hometown for this job and I kind of want to live near family if it isn’t what was promised.

Hi everyone!

I'm a Canadian citizen and I've recently been applying anywhere and everywhere for entry-level finance roles. I send out around 20 applications a day. I sat for my CFA L1 in November and I'm currently awaiting results. In undergrad my program didn't have a coop internship program and I didn't seek enough internships or career related extracurricular activities to help gain experience. I haven't gotten a single interview. I was hoping to get some resume critiques and some career advice for my current situation. Thanks a lot!

https://preview.redd.it/fnghm5zb8b4e1.png?width=631&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb2d71cdeab3074ce3acd879aca09fb00d6abf0b

I see this mentioned a lot pertaining to accounting and banking specifically. What does “going to industry” mean? What is “public sector”?

What sector does working at a bank fall under? What about big 4?

Struggling to find roles advertised on LinkedIn, reed, indeed etc. Any suggestions for recruitment agencies?

Hi everyone,

I'm currently an analyst in commercial banking, but am looking to advance in my career. My ideal job would be in corporate banking, but I recently had the chance to try for Trade Finance within my company.

Does anyone have any insight into this line of business and if it's worth it to get into? I'd still like to eventually get into corporate banking and maybe even private credit down the line, but I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts. I'm worried that it may be too niche and that I'd be stuck in it in the long run.

Thank you!

I don't know how to tag a post to be India specific so let it be.

I just want to know about the advantages/disadvantages of doing Msc/MA Economics instead of MBA?

What are the career prospects? Is it better than doing MBA from a Tier 2 and 3 college?

PS: I am a 2024 BBA grad (non target) currently working at a boutique investment bank.

I am looking for reccomendations for things to do in my spare time. I work at a boutique bank a little over 40 hours a week processing trades, funding accounts, halting trades. I want to further my education in the field and build more credibility. I am interested in pursuing portfolio management and working with clients.

I know of the CFA and CFP. The only reason I don't pursue that is because it has been a while since I studied for anything and want to build some of those skills back. I have looked into the SIE as you don't need a sponsor for that. It is something I can build a goal around and use up this time that I have which I can at least put on my resume.

Any suggestions on how to build my knowledge outside of work is much appreciated.

I’m interested in having a career as a CFP & have been looking for paraplanner jobs & there doesn’t seem to be an abundance of them. The search for these jobs is also a pain in the ass because there are so many different names that encompass the same role. I initially was looking to be a financial analyst & getting my CFA & there seem to be plenty of jobs. I’m thinking of beginning my career as a financial analyst & gain experience there as I’m getting my CFP & then quickly transition in Financial planning. My question is, is this feasible? Have any of you guys done it? Or know people that have done it?