Recently, I graduated from USC with a Master's degree from Marshall School of Business. I'm currently performing two internships with financial advisors in the San Diego area. These internships are extremely limiting and will not yield full time employment but offer growth amidst at the moment and financial content for my resume. I network constantly and am halted in the application process by the hiring freezes. What is the best method for me to grow amidst the chaos?
Also, I passed the Securities Essential Exam and am beginning to study for the CFA Level 1.
Answers
Fight on, fellow USC Trojan!
Do you want to work in the analytics side or the sales side?
Day to day, do you want to work with investors/individuals or with financial professionals?
USC and Marshall both have good webinars and career centers -- you are using those, right? :)
Stephan I'd encourage you to be a little more specific in what you want to do and, thus, how you want to grow. You have an MBA from a great school; passed a securities exam; and are studying for the CFA. What is it you really want to do?
Client-facing advisers don't need an MBA or CFA. Heck, all you need is a HS education and to pass the 7/66 exams which isn't a very high hurdle. Institutional advisers (those building portfolios for mutual funds, SMAs, etc) pretty much need to have the CFA or be on the path. Folks who want to work with intermediaries need a good business background.
To answer your question "What is the best method for me to grow amidst the chaos?", you need to be more specific in where you want to go.
Hi Stephan,
As a Marine for Life Representative (https://www.usmc-mccs.org/services/career/marine-for-life-network/), I would encourage you to reach out to me on LinkedIn as I would love to help you think through your transition to the Wealth Management world. I know several Marines who have made this same transition and would be happy to put you in contact with them. Please just let me know how I can be helpful.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jansenfweaver/
I look forward to connecting,
Jansen
Stephan - Every bank has a number of functions that support the Financial Advisors to serve their clients. Examples of this include Information Technology, Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Risk Management, and where I work, Operations. These functions are often looking for people with strong project management skills, analytical skills, and problem solving skills. So maybe you could look for a role in one of these teams, and then after a year or two, try transition into something closer to the Financial Advisor role?
Your Answer
Pleaselog into answer this question.