for those who are in wall street / IB / Private equity
I’m in desperate need of some professional experience or honestly, someone willing to take me under their wing.
I joined ACCA with the goal of eventually breaking into Investment Banking, Private Equity, Venture Capital, or Hedge Funds on Wall Street. But looking at the market and how competitive these fields are, that goal is starting to feel increasingly unattainable. So I wanted to ask people who had similar aspirations and actually managed to make it: What did you do? What path did you take?
A little about me:
- From Pakistan
- 20 years old
- ACCA finalist
- didnt go to any university, straight from FSc Medical
- although i had BSc from Oxford Brooks University
My original plan was:
first complete ACCA
→ then 3 years of experience at an MNC/Big 4 (PWC/EY) in Pakistan along with CFA
→ Top master's/MBA
→Break into IB PE/VC/Hedge Funds as an associate
For the master's/MBA, I was thinking about targeting schools such as Wharton, HBS, Stanford, etc., ideally through a full-ride scholarship, or top UK schools such as Oxford, Cambridge, LBS, Imperial, etc.
But the more I look into it, the more unrealistic this plan seems—especially coming from Pakistan and without a strong professional network or relevant experience.
I’m not looking for someone to tell me “follow your dreams.” I’d genuinely appreciate practical advice from people who have been in a similar position.
If you started from a non-target university/country, had limited connections, or had to take an unconventional route into IB/PE/VC, what did you actually do?
What would you recommend I do right now, at 20, to maximize my chances of eventually reaching that goal?
Even advice on getting my first relevant internship/job, building a network, or finding someone willing to mentor me would be extremely valuable.
Thanks in advance.