This sounds bad, but I am roughly 6 years into my career, and am still not sure what I should be doing. I graduated from a non target (but still a public ivy), and then became a financial advisor at a very well known national firm upon graduation. I was actually pretty good at the job and brought in millions of dollars of assets, but I was making very little money there and I didn’t see a path to elevate my career. As many people know it is really really hard to build a book of business completely from scratch, and most advisors that make it a decade plus at some point got some type of break from senior advisors. Well the firm I joined had a ton of nepotism, and even stopped hiring new grads about a year after I joined, so I gave it my best shot but it seemed clear to me they weren’t going to support me in the way I thought I needed to take my career to the next level. So I left.

The past few years I have been at a small(ish) firm that manages 401k for businesses. My job is essentially to uncover outside assets and roll them into the 401k plans, as well as do some limited advising for some of our higher net worth clients. It’s a combo of sales, advising, and account management. I don’t hate this job, but I feel very stuck here. I only make about 100k, and it is just so mind numbing. I only have so many clients and because of that I only work about 15-20 hours or so a week on average. My firm is also small and because of the org structure there isn’t much chance for me to get promoted. I chose wealth management as a career because I didn’t want to be working 60+ hours a week like most now WM finance jobs do, but also working 15 hours a week with limited promotion potential just feels like I am wasting my life. Working this little also highly stresses me out because I feel like I should be doing something, and I’m going to get fired one day for not. I’ve talked to other people in my position and they all seem to feel this way, but it’s not like I can tell my boss “there isn’t enough work here you should fire half of us”. I want to find something where I can work hard(ish) make a bit more money (if not now then eventually, would like to be in 150-200k comp range in a few years) and feel pride in what I do.

So now I’m at a fork in a road and I am looking for guidance on what kind of career I should pursue. I don’t want to go back to advising, at least in the traditional sense where you sell to people, build a book, and then manage it. I find this to be inefficient system for the client because the advisor has to be an expert is so many different things, and I would like to focus my skills on either selling or advising. I am good at both of these. People seem to trust me, I am able to build report with people, and I am able to convey complex concepts in a simple manner and make people feel good about their retirement picture.

So in my ideal world I could do either type of job 1.) where I am purely in financial sales or account management. I am open to this because I know there is a lot of money in it, but also a lot of stress so I’m not 100% sold it’s the right move for me Or 2.) where I work for a firm and simply help advise clients that they bring me. I’m sure this likely isn’t nearly as lucrative, but likely would come with a lot of stability that I crave, and I do genuinely like helping people plan. Or 3.) something completely different that I’m not even considering where my 6 years in Wm would be relevant and they could use my skill sets of being a good analytical thinker and good with people. This is basically just a Hail Mary if someone has a good idea that doesn’t fall in either of the first two categories, but I’m open to everything.

I again know this sounds bad, but it took me a while to get to the epiphany that I should try to focus on one of these two paths, and I now have no idea where to go from here. Not sure if these types of jobs even exist, and if so what they are called and what I should be doing and pursing to get there. I’ve thought about maybe doing a CFP because I think it would make me more competitive in the second type of career, and possibly even in sales, but really I have no idea and that is all I got. Any advice on career titles or pursue, certifications/degrees, or just general advice would be much appreciated.

I just graduated from Warwick this year. I’m an international student. I want to break into finance (IB/AM etc). I have internship experience but I don’t have any grad offers. I don’t have a job right now and I am currently doing the Cfa. My visa expires next month. I am considering two options- either renew my visa to a graduate visa and continue looking for jobs or to take a gap year do Cfa till level two, do a masters and then apply for jobs. What do you think I should do?

Hi im in my final year of chemical engineering .Looking to do a masters in financial mathematics is this a good idea?. My parents are a little apprehensive about me switching industries from engineering to finance.Ive done a bit python over the summer and started attempting to build financial models on Jupyter notebook .Another question I have is that is the maths more tough when compared to engineering?.Could really use some advice and thank you.

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Hi im in my final year of chemical engineering .Looking to do a masters in financial mathematics is this a good idea?. My parents are a little apprehensive about me switching industries from engineering to finance.I’ve done a bit of python over the summer .Im also learning how to make financial models over Jupyter notebook.Also is the math really tough appreciate if someone could give some advice here.Thank you

Just got three offers for next summer and was looking for insights before my final decision:

• gf&bm program at j.p. morgan
• global finance at BNY
• Transfer price tax at BDO

Which one sounds like the best option? I am genuinely confused as to where I want to end up after college but was wondering what looks the best on the CV.

I got an offer from them for 40% more than what I’m making currently and for a better title. They’ve pumped a lot of money recently into their campus where I’d be working which I would think is a good sign.

However, upon doing my research there seems to be a lot of bad reviews working with them, but I also hear it depends on your specific team. I know somebody on the actual team I’ll be working and he’s said it’s a good environment. I also hear there’s also always a fear of being laid off. I know Glassdoor you have to take with a grain of salt but my current company is a 4.1 versus Citi which is a 3.7. I never fear of losing my job and have a lot of flexibility and understanding from my current managers.

As far as tiers go they’re one of the tops, which I would imagine looks good for resume purposes? Other than the bad reviews, the job offers better pay and benefits than my current job in almost every regard.

I’m already applying to internships

(First reddit post)

I am a current Junior at a very small (very non target) school (around 2k students) and have already completed an internship at a fortune 100 company. I’m looking to pivot out into more of a financial company in any field (AM, FP&A, Global finance), I have noticed an issue competing with students from bigger schools and often being overlooked due to it when applying for prestigious internships. I am a student-athlete at this division 2 school and have a 3.8 GPA, 4.0 major gpa. Any advice or career help to find an internship? Willing to take any advice or connect with anyone, PM me.

Hey,
Today I had an interview for a valuation job at a Big 4 firm in a location I've been dreaming of for a long time. The interview was super technical, and I think I answered most of the questions correctly. But I feel like they didn’t love how I went into too much detail without being structured, even though my answers were right.

At the end, the interviewer said, "Don’t take this as discouragement. We’ll discuss it among ourselves, but you needed to be more structured in your answers." The moment I heard "discouragement," I thought, "Well... that's it, I'm done."

He also mentioned, "You know your stuff, you’ve got a solid technical background, but it seems mostly academic. Taking the CFA could help you organize all the knowledge you have better."

Now I’m not sure… Is this the end? We’re in the same company, just different offices. Should I message him on Teams?
For example, I’m valuing a company from the country he used to work in (which is at war now). Should I ask him about it? Maybe share my thoughts on calculating the cost of capital for such an environment, especially if I have unique ideas? Would that help? (just maybe, example)

I’m not sure. I’m just really excited because this is the first time I’ve truly wanted a job like this. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to convince him. I’ve worked so hard for this opportunity.

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I got an email last week from a VP at a BB saying their industry group had an opening for their 2025 summer analyst class. It seems like someone backed out and they're trying to fill the spot last minute. I have a phone screen scheduled with them this week, anyone know what I can expect? Will they stick to the standard superday format or will the interview process be shortened since this is such a last minute thing? Some of my friends are under the impression that this phone screen will include both behavioral and technical questions and that I may not have to do a superday.

Hello everyone, I have just recently graduated college with a bachelors in accounting and I currently work as a staff accountant. Recently I have scored a job for a financial advising firm and it has peaked my interest and I plan on leaving my current job to work for this advising firm. The only thing left for me to do is self study for an exam or 2 to get certificates, but I am fully confident that I will be able to pass these 2 exams in the next 2 weeks (series 6 or 7 and then I think series 63 or something) If anyone has any tips or useful things they have learned with their experience or through trial and error that they would like to share with someone who is just starting out as a financial advisor, I would really appreciate your help. Thank you

Hello, I currently have a job with a salary of £34k and don’t have much job satisfaction but have just been offered a job at another company that is matching this salary. My current company doesn’t know that I’m considering leaving, but I have just been told of a new opportunity in my team starting at £38k that I’m being encouraged to apply for. Should I go back to the job offer and let them know there’s a new opportunity at my current workplace that I’d be a good candidate for and see if they’d up the offer, or is this a bad move?

What are the pro/cons of each? How does comp differ at each? If you are in a specialty group, do you worry about being pigeonholed into that specific niche?

Hi everyone. Been sending out some emails to talk with people in the financial planning industry. I don't have a lot of alumni from my school working in the industry. For one firm, I emailed one person, and found a second person who is an alumni so I sent that email as well. In general, when emailing for coffee chats, is one person per firm enough, or multiple? Should I mention that I've contacted someone else in the firm as well? Or do I reach out to a second person in the firm only if the first person didn't respond?

Thanks!

I have been at big 4 for two years now and have been trying to break into IB. Currently have gotten 2 interviews over last 6 months. Should I study for CPA to get a cert to help my case and have a backup plan or study for GMAT to get in to B school.

Not sure what would be best. Thanks

Has anyone heard back from Wells Fargo for 2025 commercial bank internship?

I'm sick of dishonesty toward clients or even within the team in asset management. I can admit mistake and view them as opportunities to learn, but in AM I feel like you have to always look like you know everything, even if you don't. If somebody makes mistake, everybody tries to bend the truth to fit their view.

I find relationships toxic, too - always thinking about which rich friends to poach for money into our fund or constantly looking for stock to make money from.

I'm hoping that by changing to in-house investment analyst (i.e. making recommendations for the firm and not investors directly), I will have more joy from building the firm (not just describing different firms all the time which doesn't lead to any action from their side) and more relaxed mind since private markets don't move as quickly. Plus I don't have to raise money from investors because its firm's internal capital.

AM analysts make the headlines and seem to have all the prestige, but I don't care about that.

Thoughts?

So last July I started my job as a branch banker at pnc. So far at first everything was fine I was ahead on all my trainings and if I had questions or made mistakes he was understanding since this is my first banking job period. But now I'm almost two months in and I still am having trouble with implementing the client conversation and talking to clients in general. I have high functioning autism but with minimum symptoms so because of that nobody really notices it. So long story short my branch manager doesn't seem very pleased with my progress and he constantly forgets how long I've been with the company. I'm really scared of my probation period ending and him just throwing me out. I need this job badly any advice would be appreciated.

Last week, I received an offer for a position at a company in Germany. The head of the team personally gave me the green light last Tuesday, but they mentioned that the final confirmation from the HR department was still pending. So far, I haven’t received any official news.

The position is set to start in early October, and since I’m from Spain, I need to relocate, organize my move, and leave my current job. My question is: should I send a follow-up email to HR to ask about the status of the offer, or would it be better to wait a bit longer? I don’t want to seem too impatient, but I also need time to plan my relocation.

What would you do in my situation?

Hi all, I have interview coming in Moodys UK as Financial Data Associate and I am wondering what kind of questions they will ask me. Any examples from your experience will greatly appreciated

Long story short....My engineering firm was recently acquired by a larger firm and I'm bored. I have a bachelors in structural engineering and finance from the University of Minnesota and I am now 3 months away from a Masters in Finance.

Finance has always interested me - not to mention I manage my own retirement/investments/etc and I managed my firm's entire financial profile for the last decade.

I am in my mid 30's and feel like breaking into a financial career isn't feasible at this stage in my journey with my lack of "relevant industry experience."

Am I basically relegated to the basement and work my way up from there? I'm mostly just looking to start a discussion and conversation regarding any ideas or recommendations going forward, tips/tricks, certifications, advice, things you would do differently, etc etc.

I was just approached by a recruiter for a role that is the exact same thing that I’m doing now. After speaking to the recruiter, this role would have been a 40% increase in pay and it’s also 100% remote. After learning about my qualifications and experience the recruiter said I was overqualified as I’ve been in my role for 2 years and will likely be promoted in December. Now I’m extremely frustrated with my current pay as I could be making significantly more. I like the team I’m on but realizing how underpaid I am is making me question my career. Do I bring this up with my manager during a 1-on-1 in a couple weeks? If so, how? Or do is it time to move on?

Hi all. I am currently a student at the University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor. I am not in the Ross School of Business, but am studying Economics in the college of LSA. Is the University of Michigan prestigious? Can I still land an internship even though I am not at an Ivy League institution or a member of the Ross School?

What to remove/add/change?

Thank you!

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i applied to GWI Summer 2025 and am anxiously awaiting results. They say the results come out mid october but what day exactly?? or around what day?? and how competitive is the program? i’ve heard almost everyone at least gets into OIP

I’m currently working at a firm, which I believe to have quite a questionable bonus structure with a 12 month lag for any commission to land in your pocket after the new business being done.

I basically want to assess this so would appreciate if people could give me an idea of a typical bonus structure and how it works at your firms.

Thanks