planning on switching my career to finance. how to go about it.

[Tweety]

I work for one of the big name investment banks, and I've been in the game for a long time.

Take my word for it- getting hired for a half-decent job with no experience whatsoever is an utter pipe dream in this environment.

Wall street is firing right now, not hiring.

I'd spend the next 6 months to a year planning and networking.

The CFA is very tough by the way, even for a very smart person.

[beardedwhale]

There are lots of finance career options besides working in investment banking. Take a couple of finance/accounting classes at community college. With your computer science background, you should be able to get a job as a financial analyst. Play up any database work you've done on your resume, and learn Excel, VBA, etc.

[dazraf69]

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Take my word for it- getting hired for a half-decent job with no experience whatsoever is an utter pipe dream in this environment.


[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of us hold that "pipe dream" as the foundation towards greatness.

Disclaimer: I am a math teacher who is also making a career shift towards finance and also has the same conundrum.

OP regardless of anything, I think your desire accompanied by action will utterly move you towards your "dream job". The key there being action. PM me if you would like to exchange thoughts as I have been researching the same for a very long time. We have similar desires but different backgrounds both considering an MBA(and its high cost) and the CFA exam. One other thing to consider is College MBA forums. I know Berkley has one that may help with some of your questions. The link escapes me at the moment.

[MrMetropolitan]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Take my word for it- getting hired for a half-decent job with no experience whatsoever is an utter pipe dream in this environment.


[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of us hold that "pipe dream" as the foundation towards greatness.

Disclaimer: I am a math teacher who is also making a career shift towards finance and also has the same conundrum.

OP regardless of anything, I think your desire accompanied by action will utterly move you towards your "dream job". The key there being action. PM me if you would like to exchange thoughts as I have been researching the same for a very long time. We have similar desires but different backgrounds both considering an MBA(and its high cost) and the CFA exam. One other thing to consider is College MBA forums. I know Berkley has one that may help with some of your questions. The link escapes me at the moment.

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I like your optimism but unfortunately it is not realistic. The market is saturated with highly educated individuals not just from America but from China and India as well. They have advanced degrees in things like Physics, Math and Economics on top of their computer science degrees. Then they have practical experience using these skills for a financial firm. I agree that action will lead to results but the actions taken in pursuit of a "dream job"( in my opinion this is an oxymoron but whatever) should be done with your eyes open and a willingness to be realistic about what is going to get you where you want to go. Also, you have a BA in math education I am guessing? What type of work do you want to do for a financial firm? And what type of advanced degree did you want to get?

I would like to hear more about OP background technically and education wise as well as what he is hoping to do specifically for a financial firm.

[iambusto]

Maybe I wasnt too clear on my original post.

* By job in a financial services company I dont mean working as Trader or Financial Planner. I am mostly interested in a job like Equity Analyst.

* I have read different sites and realise how tough it is to crack the CFA exams. But the idea i am getting from most that an MBA with a finance degree wont help me get through in a financial services company. I looked at the curriculum of some MBA (finance) programs and they have courses like Investment Analysis, Portfolio Management etc. These are not
good enough ?

* I was under the impression that people from non business/finance undergrad backgrounds can always get an MBA in Finance (ie people from engineering/arts backgrounds) and still get their foot in the door in a financial services company.

[dazraf69]

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Also, you have a BA in math education I am guessing? What type of work do you want to do for a financial firm? And what type of advanced degree did you want to get?

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I am a BS in Math with a minor in management sciences, an MS in Education and 6 yrs experience running a successful restaurant/bar in a struggling city. We at one point were the only business turning a profit. I am currently a math teacher in the Bay Area. My goal is to become a Financial Analyst for a bank, but its hard to say if thats my dream job until I actually do it.

I hold OP opinion on the use of an MBA. It is a door opener into the corporate world for people outside of the business world. I also believe their is a desire for individuals with a diverse background in the field of finance. In a recent discussion with a Professor at UC Berkley (I am in the process of applying), I asked what chances a math teacher would have in getting into their business school compared to say an engineer student. His claim was that the market was in need of change. That the change would come from a new generation of well diversified group. He claimed the market has been flooded with students tracked through similar programs with very little knowledge of business applications. And most were "highly skilled" professionals with backgrounds in advanced math/physics ect. But they were people who could not get things done. He was far more articulate but I think you get the idea. For me ( I have a bias opinion since i am a math teacher [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]) teh argument made sense and was inspirational.

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I agree that action will lead to results but the actions taken in pursuit of a "dream job"( in my opinion this is an oxymoron but whatever) should be done with your eyes open and a willingness to be realistic about what is going to get you where you want to go.

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I will agree with your statement. I also agree about the current market for finance being what it is. On the other hand, I think an MBA or a CFA or any other acronym means nothing with out ability. In other words, book smarts does not translate into success in the real world. Someone once told me "dream in the clouds and work your ass off getting to them". I may be naive then, but I believe my self to be more able than the competition I have met. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]