Hey guys,
I am graduating from UBC here in Canada with a BA in Inderdisciplinary Economics and I am looking to get into finance upon graduation (I would specifically prefer a buy-side analyst role). I am looking to be hired essentially wherever and doing whatever someone will hire me to do. I am finding that I am at a huge disadvantage in terms of campus recruiting as all of the recruiting sessions with the big banks/AM firms are open to BCom and MBA students only. I have tried to get around this exclusion with no luck so far.
I have basically resolved to make up the difference in skillsets between myself and a Finance grad by doing a lot of outside reading, getting really good in MS Excel, and finishing licensing courses (CSC, CPH, perhaps Series 7 and 63 also) before finishing school. I have also started to study for the L1 CFA exam, planning on taking it after graduation. I figure between that and my background in Economics I may actually have a wider skillset at the end of the day.
All this said, I still feel like I am taking total shots in the dark by applying online to the BB firms in NY and the Big 5 in Toronto. I am trying to work connections as much as possible but I'm still finding it frustrating. I'm going to try to apply to more mid-level Canadian firms, but I'm starting to wonder whether I should give up and go after a "retail" job that my background and education are more suited for.
An idea I'm playing with is not working next summer and taking some courses at a well-recognized US or UK school as a visiting student in econometrics and advanced macroeconomics to boost my credibility academically, and then trying to find a job that starts in September. Any thoughts on this?
Basically I really just want a job that builds skills and provides a good basis for going to B-School and then moving into an Associate's job and then hopefully a PM/AM role.
All help and advice is appreciated. I'm getting tired of submitting resumes to the faceless online databases to no response.
Thanks
I am graduating from UBC here in Canada with a BA in Inderdisciplinary Economics and I am looking to get into finance upon graduation (I would specifically prefer a buy-side analyst role). I am looking to be hired essentially wherever and doing whatever someone will hire me to do. I am finding that I am at a huge disadvantage in terms of campus recruiting as all of the recruiting sessions with the big banks/AM firms are open to BCom and MBA students only. I have tried to get around this exclusion with no luck so far.
I have basically resolved to make up the difference in skillsets between myself and a Finance grad by doing a lot of outside reading, getting really good in MS Excel, and finishing licensing courses (CSC, CPH, perhaps Series 7 and 63 also) before finishing school. I have also started to study for the L1 CFA exam, planning on taking it after graduation. I figure between that and my background in Economics I may actually have a wider skillset at the end of the day.
All this said, I still feel like I am taking total shots in the dark by applying online to the BB firms in NY and the Big 5 in Toronto. I am trying to work connections as much as possible but I'm still finding it frustrating. I'm going to try to apply to more mid-level Canadian firms, but I'm starting to wonder whether I should give up and go after a "retail" job that my background and education are more suited for.
An idea I'm playing with is not working next summer and taking some courses at a well-recognized US or UK school as a visiting student in econometrics and advanced macroeconomics to boost my credibility academically, and then trying to find a job that starts in September. Any thoughts on this?
Basically I really just want a job that builds skills and provides a good basis for going to B-School and then moving into an Associate's job and then hopefully a PM/AM role.
All help and advice is appreciated. I'm getting tired of submitting resumes to the faceless online databases to no response.
Thanks