u/Sad_Opportunity_5840

A few I've enjoyed:

• Into the Deep by Robert Ballard - Memoir by the man who found the Titanic
• The Father of Spin by Larry Tye - History of media manipulation and publicity
• A Truck Full of Money by Tracy Kidder - Literary nonfiction about the founding of Kayak
• The Dinosaur Artist by Paige Williams - An international true crime about smuggling fossils

(Feel free to roast me if any of these are secretly mainstream and I'm just living under a rock.)

Context

Would love advice and stories from people who've pivoted into finance as a second career. I've been an independent ghostwriter and copywriter for over a decade. I work primarily with executives, which has allowed me to help draft a handful of investor newsletters, quarterly reports, and financial marketing material over the years. Found that I love IR and investor ghostwriting/marketing WAY more than traditional marketing.

Decided recently to follow this interest more seriously. I'm texting friends who work in finance to get their advice on pivoting. My goal is to eventually find a role that combines traditional IR with ghostwriting for managing partners, preferably in-house at an investment fund. I don't have a traditional finance or IR background, so I'm collecting all the advice I can.

Questions

1. Folks who pivoted into finance from another career (so no finance or business degree), what helped you get a foot in the door?

2. If you work in investor relations, what skills will recruiters or managers expect to see on a resume that I can procure on my own time (I already have ample writing and executive comms experience, so I'm wondering about more finance-specific credentials)?

3. Given my specific goal of combining IR with executive ghostwriting, are there certain types of funds (e.g., VC, PE, hedge funds) or specific firm sizes that are more likely to hire for and value this hybrid role? Would love to know where to focus.

Thanks!