r/FinancialCareers

Just to clarify, I’m not talking about quant trading or HF or PE, I mean which other sectors which aren’t as prestigious or as “elite” but may quite well (maybe even similar to IB)

This regardless of wlb but if you can comment on that then that would be great

For those of you who are in the industry, which other verticals have you looked at and been like, “why don’t people apply more for this instead of IB”?

Thanks

Hey everyone,

I'm 29 years old and work for a team of finacial advisors as a Client Associate. Our team is very succesful (lots of Forbes awards, large AUM, largest non-private wealth team in the market). This is at one of the top 3 largest banks/brokers in the U.S. in a MCOL city.

When i started 5 years ago, my salary was $53,000. It is now $63,375 + $31,000 (the bonus my advisors give me).

I have my series 7 & 66. And I currently am in a training program where upon completion i will have the same job but with a new title and an opportunity to sit with our management and ask for a raise.

I'm trying to decide how much of a raise to ask for. I've previously complained to my direct manager that I know i was low-balled when I started. She's mentioned to the manager i'll be negotiating with that I'm unhappy with my base salary and it needs to increase. I also know that two years ago my colleague started off with a base salary of $75K. But my manager (indirectly bc obviously I didn't tell them she told me) told me my colleague came in at a higher salary because she had 3 years prior experience and I had no experience.

I'm thinking about asking for either a base salary of $85K or $90K. Is this reasonable? I could be happy with the $85K so should i just ask for that or start off at $90K?

Any negotiation tips would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Criminal Case: I was charged with felony possession nearly 9 years ago next month. I went through a deferred judgment program and the possession charge was dropped while I pled guilty to a failure to affix drug tax stamp charge which was later dismissed post-probation.

I did not disclose this information on my U4 as I have worked at two banks with this information not appearing on my background check. I have successfully passed both background checks. I did not anticipate this being an issue but FINRA reached out to my compliance department to understand the dynamics behind this and asked for official dispositions etc.

I was not a previously licensed banker but am stepping into a role in Capital Markets where I will be required to have licenses.

I WAS NOT CONVICTED.

Should I worry about this?

I did my final interview for a FCA role with Fidelity 2 days ago. Today I received a message from the recruiter asking when I would be available as they have gotten my interview results. I’m not sure if this is a positive or negative, as I’m not used to any company doing more than an email to reject someone, but I’m still on edge. If anyone has insight, let me know

For context; currently an associate in the M&A team at a global EB in Australia which I’ve been at for 4 years since A1. I still enjoy the work, have flirted a bit with PE and other random opportunities recruiters occasionally send through, but wondering if there are any similar paying jobs to IB in the finance space that have a marginally better wlb? Corp dev obviously better wlb but pretty big pay cut, and even the mid market PE roles you’re still shaving 20% off your base (with the carrot of carry) for what seems like a similar workload in banking anyway…

Just curious to hear others’ thoughts and if I’ve missed anything. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

So im an international student from Portugal (yes Portugal, not Spain haha) and im looking to do an MS Finance in the US mainly to get into the US market through STEM OPT and hopefully break into finance there.

My profile is: 655 GMAT Focus, 15/20 GPA in Finance in Portugal, summer internship at a big bank in the CIB department, founder and president of my university investment club

I’m mainly interested in asset management/IB, ideally something that can eventually lead to NYC or Florida.

I can only apply to around 5 schools, so I’m trying to be careful with where I use my applications.

Right now I’m thinking about:

Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, WashU Olin, Boston College, Rochester Simon, Fordham, Miami Herbert

I know Vanderbilt and Notre Dame are probably reaches for me, but do you guys think it’s worth taking the shot? And between Rochester/Fordham/WashU/BC which ones would you prioritize for someone with my profile and goals?

Also, are there any other MSF programs I should seriously consider that have good finance recruiting + STEM OPT + decent scholarship opportunities? I’ve been looking at places like Florida Warrington, Brandeis, UT Austin etc. too.

Basically if you were me and could only send 5 applications, where would you send them?

Would really appreciate advice from current students/alumni, especially internationals who actually managed to break into US finance.

Thanks and have a good one :)

Hi all. So I've worked as a Mortgage Adviser for a couple of years now. And, I'm looking at going to live in the Middle East. I want to potentially branch into a different line of work whilst living out there. And, I found the Islamic Finance Qualification provided by the CISI. Would this be useful and increase my chances of say, working for a bank in Qatar, the UAE etc?

Furthermore, as per the title to this post. I'm not a muslim. Would this be an issue?

thanks!

Hey guys, basically the title.

I took up this position because I was hunting for a starter position in finance for a whole year, and this was the only one available.

Turns out, the money is good, and I got the hang of the job extremely quickly, I'm learning fast, and already in the first month I caught some errors that have saved my company about 100k.

Gambling is not really somrthing that I see myself in as a permanent career, so I'd love to know from your experience, is it possible to switch to regular finance, or does a job like this blacklist a candidate?

Thanls upfront!

Hey everyone, looking for a realistic assessment of my situation and actionable advice on where to pivot.
Background:
Education: B.A. in Economics from UCLA (Class of 2023).
Experience: Took a 1-year gap after graduating, and have been working for the past 2 years at a telecom company handling consumer orders, activation workflows, and daily account operations.
Location & Living Costs: Based in Los Angeles. Fixed monthly costs are around $2,000 ($1,500 rent + $500 car lease/insurance) before food/utilities.
The Problem: Looking back, I feel like I didn’t pick up any hard technical/financial modeling skills from my undergrad or my current role. I’m feeling pretty stuck and directionless.
Target:
Pivot into a role with a solid career trajectory and an entry/near-term compensation target around $80k pre-tax (to realistically keep up with LA living costs).
Not chasing high-finance IB/PE dreams here—just looking for steady, upwardly mobile corporate paths.
Paths I’m Considering / Questions:

1. Corporate Finance / Junior FP&A / Pricing Analyst: Is it realistic to break in without an accounting/finance major, assuming I grind financial modeling courses (e.g., Wall Street Prep / CFI) and advanced Excel on my own?
2. Operations / RevOps / Business Analyst: Given my 2 years of operational background in telecom, would this be an easier transition to hit the $80k mark, and does it leave room to cross over into finance later?
3. Skill Priority: If you were in my shoes with basically a blank slate in hard skills, what should be my single highest-priority skill to build over the next 3 months (e.g., Advanced Excel/VBA, SQL, or formal financial statement analysis)?
   Appreciate any honest feedback, tough love, or alumni perspectives. Thanks in advance.

I’m studying Economics at Lancaster University. I got ABC at A-level, with a C in Economics, and my first-year results may be around a 2:2/Third ( not sure yet).First year doesn’t count towards my final degree classification at Lancaster. I was wondering If I get First-class marks in Years 2 and 3 and graduate with a First overall, how much will my earlier academic results realistically matter for my career?
I’m interested in any well-paid careers in finance/business generally rather than only investment banking. But do i not stand a chance with IB?I’m mainly wondering whether the C/poor first year will substantially limit my long-term earning potential, or whether a First + experience later on would largely outweigh them. Any advice would be appreciated im clueless and need help thank you.

I’ve been unemployed for longer than I’d like, and at this point my biggest goal is simply to get back to work, gain experience in my field, and build my career.

I’m an analyst with two bachelor’s degrees, with a stronger background/interest in finance, but I’m very open to different types of analyst work. I’m also not overly concerned about having a fancy title or a high starting salary. I’m willing to start at minimum wage if that’s what it takes to get experience and prove myself.

I’m open to in-person, remote, or hybrid positions.

Types of analyst roles I’m interested in

My strongest interest is in finance, but I’m open to pretty much any position where my analytical skills can be useful, including:

Finance / Financial Analysis

Financial Analyst

FP&A Analyst

Corporate Finance Analyst

Investment Analyst

Portfolio Analyst

Equity Research Analyst

Credit Analyst

Risk Analyst

Treasury Analyst

Financial Planning Analyst

Budget Analyst

Revenue Analyst

Pricing Analyst

Cost Analyst

Financial Reporting Analyst

Finance Operations Analyst

Commercial Finance Analyst

Strategic Finance Analyst

Wealth Management Analyst

Banking Analyst

Loan Analyst

Underwriting Analyst

Accounts/Financial Operations Analyst

Business / General Analysis:

Business Analyst

Business Operations Analyst

Operations Analyst

Management Analyst

Strategy Analyst

Strategic Planning Analyst

Process Analyst

Performance Analyst

Decision Support Analyst

Business Intelligence Analyst

Reporting Analyst

Program Analyst

Project Analyst

Data Analyst

Research Analyst

Planning Analyst

Supply Chain Analyst

Procurement Analyst

Revenue Operations Analyst

Marketing Analyst

Pricing Analyst

Product Analyst

Other Analyst Positions

I’m also completely open to positions simply titled “Analyst” where the specific type of analysis could be learned on the job. I’m comfortable learning new systems, processes, software, and subject matter.

Honestly, I’m not looking for anything fancy right now. I’m looking for an opportunity to get some recent experience, contribute to a team, learn, and demonstrate that I can do the work.

If your company is hiring for an entry-level analyst position, junior analyst position, finance-related position, or really any analyst role where someone with my educational background and willingness to learn could be useful, I would genuinely appreciate the opportunity.

I’m also open to internships, contract work, temporary positions, part-time work, or other opportunities that could help me get relevant experience.

If anyone knows of a company, hiring manager, recruiter, small business, or organization that could use someone with an analytical/finance background, please feel free to comment or DM me.

I’m willing to start at the bottom. I just need someone willing to give me the opportunity to get started.

Just finished and IB internship, might get converted onto the grad program but I don’t find out until October

I have a 10 month Sales and Trading Placement starting in early September.

Staring the S&T would mean I don’t get into the grad program as I wouldn’t graduate next year. But I’d be able to apply for another IB at a better bank

I don’t know what to do. S&T experience would be fun and diversify my CV and I do like markets BUT my goal is M&A and then PE

Might have to take a leap of faith and decline the S&T long internship/placement

hey all, I'm entering my third year of undergrad applied mathematics with a minor in economics. So far I worked the summer as a data analyst for my city and I realized I really like data and finance stuff, working with financial data was fun. My goal is to get a Nice paying finance job with a good work life balance. what would you recommend I look into for the long term.? I have projects in data analytics and Machine learning. I am also considering taking courses in stochastic processes, monte carlo methods, and i'm heavily considering a masters in applied statistics(comes with a financial engineering graduate diploma).

I'll be fr, I dont think I have a good enough gpa or school to go into Quant finance, so what are some others, I was considering risk management but from what I heard It's A dead end career and Hard to grow in.

appreciate any help!!

Dear,

I am curious if there is an option to work fully in English in investment banking (M&A) in Switzerland? Which banks? Driven either by the country’s multilingualism or foreign deals. I currently live in Zurich so I am also curious which cities deals are being made in.

Hi,

I'm curious to know how the pressure differs among various banks such as Goldman, Morgan, JPM, Barclays, BofA, Citi, BNP Paribas, etc.

Is there a more or less defined matrix of high/low intensity and high/low competition where you would place these banks?

And how significant is the difference in culture?

Edit: also, what about the rates desks specifically?

College Intern | Triumphant Financial Group | LinkedIn

Nearly got all the way through this places hiring process before realizing the entire thing is a scam. Their website has numerous instances where it calls the company by an entirely different name and after reading the info it is clear they aren't selling anything. What do these places gain from doing this?

I'm neurodivergent so it's hard to socialize and make friends and I've heard that finance only does well if you've got lots of connections. I was pretty interested in this major but I also don't want to struggle to find a job

After a year of applying to countless jobs in my dream city (NYC) I finally got an interview then an offer and after the offer I was still so anxious about getting it pulled for countless reasons but finally today I got the confirmation start date. I’m extremely excited and thankful for all of you that told me not to sweat it. I say keep applying and never give up because I understand how it feels, especially when you are so checked out of the old place you are at. I’ve sent well over 600 applications and prob only got 10 interviews. A majority only because of connections. Unfortunately connections are the most important thing in this field. Nevertheless don’t give up and do it. If I cab you can.

Currently set to come in as an analyst at a firm right of school but am honestly second guessing the career path given how concentrated it is in cities I don’t want to live in long term. Also the comp really isn’t that good at most firms until you hit VP which is getting more challenging. For those who used to work in the space and left, what do you do now?

I recently received an offer for a data analyst-type role in Securities Operations, focused mainly on forecasting and planning.

I’ve looked online but haven’t found much useful information about what the role or day-to-day work actually looks like. The job description gives me a general idea, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has worked in Securities Operations.

What is the work like, and is it a good career path for someone interested in analytics?