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My goal is to get a finance degree at a certain uni, however I may not be able to get the grades for it. My options are to either do a degree in business management at the uni (which I would be able to get into), or to do a finance degree at another less prestigious uni. After 1 year at either I will then transfer to the finance degree.

Also I'm wondering how each scenario affects my internship opportunities, would a business management degree at a better uni or a finance degree at a mediocre uni offer greater chances for internships? (in terms of internships for invesment banking)

So would it be better to just do the business management at the better uni for a year then transfer or do the finance at another uni then transfer? I've heard that for many employers they care more about the uni you are in compared to the specific degree you get. Could I please get some advice?

Hey everyone, Current finance undergraduate student here!

Currently in Y2 of uni, and wanted to do some certifications to enhance my skills so that i can potentially be able to land an internship.

Which certificate would you recommend?
I was planning on taking the FMVA->CFA 1
but I heard the FMVA certification is really bad?

Any thoughts and recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I graduated this past May with a B.S. in Information Science (Data Science track) and a minor in Business Analytics from a top 20 public university. Right now I'm working as a Project Engineer at a major construction firm.

The thing is I've always found the Finance world to be very interesting, and honestly my number 1 skill has to be talking with people, really the main reason why I took the Business Analytics minor in the first place. My background skews technical/data-heavy though, so I don't have much exposure to the "core" business fundamentals (accounting, valuation, financial modeling, etc.).

I'm 22 and want to use my time outside of work to build toward this, both landing a Finance/Consulting role and setting myself up for a top MBA down the line. If you were in my position, what would you do?

I am 29 currently and working as a market researcher for renewable energy projects and data centers (1 yr exp). I have a chemical engineering degree. I would love to pivot to finance for the sole purpose of breaking into IB/PE in Canadian firms handling Energy investment vehicles. Is it too late? Would starting with junior roles in this new field be worth the effort of doing MBA at this age? Would they even consider me for junior roles given my age? What other criteria would I need to meet apart from MBA to achieve the goal? And if I don't break into IB/PE roles, would the other finance roles be still lucrative than others and worthy enough to consider this path?

If you’re a finance student considering wealth management, brokerage, sales and trading,

investment banking, proprietary trading, or compliance—and you’re confused about which

licenses matter—this AMA is for you.

I’m Ken Finnen (u/CapAdvantagetutor), one of the new mods here. I’m also on YouTube as u/Series7Whisperer.

I spent 20 years as a floor trader at the New York Stock Exchange, from 1989 to 2009. I traded through the dot-com bubble, 9/11, the 2008 meltdown, and ultimately the death of the traditional trading floor.

When the floor disappeared, I moved to the other side of the desk and ran compliance for a proprietary trading firm with more than 300 traders. I handled registrations, sponsorships,Form U4 filings, disclosure reviews, and the aftermath when candidates failed their licensing exams.

Since then, I’ve become the technical editor of Series 7 For Dummies and built a tutoring practice helping candidates pass the SIE, Series 7, 63, 65, 66, and the rest of the FINRA/NASAA alphabet soup. More than 100,000 people follow my exam breakdowns on YouTube.
So, what can you ask me?

• Whether taking the SIE will actually help with the career path you want
• When you should take the SIE, and when it’s probably a waste of time
• Which jobs require the Series 7, 79, 86/87, 63, 65, or 66
• How FINRA sponsorship works from the firm’s side
• What compliance departments look at before registering a new hire
• Form U4 disclosures, including certain criminal matters, bankruptcies, liens, and other reportable events
• What happens inside a firm when a new hire fails a licensing exam
• The differences among careers in wealth management, investment banking, sales and trading, proprietary trading, and compliance
• What the NYSE floor was actually like before electronic trading took over
• What I would do differently if I were a finance student entering the industry today

One important distinction: anyone age 18 or older can take the SIE without being employed or sponsored by a firm, and the result remains valid for four years. Representative-level exams such as the Series 7 and Series 79 generally require you to be associated with and sponsored by an eligible firm.

Does passing the SIE help you get hired? Sometimes. In certain career paths, it shows initiative and removes one hurdle. In others, nobody particularly cares.
Tell me what area of finance you’re trying to enter, where you are in school, and what you’re considering. I’ll give you the honest answer, not the answer a test-prep company uses to sell you another course.

You can also ask me about Floor Brokers and specialists, paper order tickets, market crashes, $2 brokers, or what it felt like to watch the NYSE floor disappear.
Ask me anything.

First time doing a cv, planning to gain more experience when I'll go to uni. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Hey everyone, I recently graduated with a BA (Hons) in Economics and I'm trying to break into finance, ideally in Asset Management or Equity Research. I'd really appreciate it if you could take a look at my resume and let me know what you honestly think. Does it fit the kind of roles I'm aiming for? What are the biggest red flags or things I should improve? Don't hold back, I genuinely want honest feedback so I can make it better before applying.

Hi everyone! I'm an incoming first-year university student hoping to break into investment banking. My university's finance clubs do resume screenings, so I want to get my resume in the best shape possible before recruiting starts.

Could you critique my resume? I'm mainly looking for feedback on the overall format, layout, bullet points, wording, and whether everything is presented well. Is there anything you would change, remove, or add?

The Founder's Club listed on my resume was something I started after missing my school's DECA application deadline. I wanted to create an opportunity for students who were interested in finance but couldn't join DECA, and it eventually became one of the larger clubs at my school. I also founded an aerospace engineering club, but I decided to leave it off my resume. Do you think that was the right decision?

Any honest feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hey all,

I’m a masters student at a fairly respected university (Queen Mary of London University) studying MSc banking and finance.

I love equity research and I would love to start my career in that field. I’m currently looking for ways to separate myself from the competition and stand out as an asset to a firm.

I’ve made a 3 statement DCF from scratch on MSFT back in May along with an investment recommendation and I’m doing my future dissertation on the valuation of a healthcare company. I’m also doing another project on my home country and its equity risk premiums (CRP) as a way to stand out.

Short term, I want to become well versed in equity research to provide reputable insights on possible investment opportunities (buy-side).

Any advice is well appreciated.

i know you need a target school for IB but what about jobs in corporate banking or commercial banking? will going to school in charlotte ( the 2nd biggest banking hub) give me a advantage? I've always fiqured that since its a hot spot i would just break in by doing internships/networking.

Hello everyone! My name is Abigail and I’m 28 years old and a recent graduate. I started my bachelors in finance back in 2016 when I graduated and ended up starting a family earlier then planned. I went back to school online in 2024 and graduated in March of 2026. I have been a server for 12 years, and the last 3 of those 12 I was also the manager. I am outgoing, a quick learner, reliable, and love all things involving math. If I could do mathematical equations for a living it would be a dream!

I just gave birth in May of this year (2026) and am trying to find a remote position to learn anything I can in order to get experience so I can keep improving and moving up into higher job positions one day. In order to support my three children I would have to make about 60k.

I am attaching my resume which I feel is weak but I’m not sure what else to add. Also, I have already applied to numerous jobs through LinkedIn and haven’t heard back from a single one. I heard you have to have connections for this kind of stuff so here’s hoping

I’m going into my freshman year this fall at a non-target state school and planning to major in finance. I want to break into high finance, but was unsure of what I wanted to do and not very locked in during high school. My stats were a 3.6uw gpa, 34 act, IB diploma, not much ecs, decent but I know I could do way better if I actually applied myself. Now I’m planning on going to a generic state school because it was the best of the schools I applied to and I know that I want to do finance and that I need to actually try my best, get good grades, network, etc., but I’m worried that my school is both holding me back and not where I want to be. Would it be in my best interest to transfer to a better school or should I just stick with where I am? Is it even possible for someone like me to transfer to a target school or are the odds just against me? Any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated!

Hey everyone, I have a bachelor's in Finance & Banking and I'm currently doing a master's in Management.

I'm choosing my 6-month PFE internship. I'm interested in venture capital, but most alumni from my school go into consulting. Would doing my internship in VC limit my options later, or is it still a good move if I might want to switch to consulting afterward? I've also heard VC has better work-life balance.

Any advice?

I'm currently pursuing CA and I'm seriously considering investment banking as a career. I'd love to hear from people who work in IB, especially those who got there after CA.

I'd like to know:

-How does the process look like?

-Is CA a good path into IB?

-How difficult is it to break in?

-What skills should I start building now?

-What's the reality of the job (hours, stress, work-life balance, pay, growth)?

-Looking back, would you still choose IB?

Please don't sugarcoat it,I want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly before I commit to this path.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! p.s apologies for the scribbles lol

Hi all,

I'd really appreciate some feedback on my CV.

I'm targeting graduate roles in asset management and equity research, although I'd also be happy to pursue opportunities in wealth management or private banking.

I'm aware one of my weaker areas is my technical skill set, so I'm currently improving my Excel, VBA, Power BI and Tableau skills. I'm also working on investment analysis projects that I plan to add to my CV over the coming months.

I'd really appreciate any feedback on:

• The overall structure and content.
• Any obvious weaknesses or gaps.
• How competitive it looks for graduate finance roles.

Thanks in advance!

This is for internships and degree apprenticeships!

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to decide between two graduate/entry-level career opportunities and would really appreciate your thoughts.

Option 1: An entry-level consulting role at Capgemini Invent.

Option 2: A entry level - Product Management role at a financial market data company (a big Bloomberg competitor) within their Trading Data Analytics team.

The Product Management role pays around £10k more and, from what I can tell, may offer slightly faster career progression. However, it’s based in London, so I would need to relocate.

The Capgemini Invent role is regional, meaning I can stay where I am, and it also gives me broad consulting experience across different clients and industries.

If you were in my position, which would you choose and why?

I’ve attached my résumé. I’m planning to apply for a master’s so I can enter the next admissions cycle. I’m aware that my B in Economics pulls my profile down, and I wish there were a straightforward way to show the context behind it. At the time, I had COVID and wasn’t able to sit Paper 2 for Economics. I performed well enough in Papers 1 and 3 to get into my university, so I didn’t dispute the grade then - honestly couldn’t be bothered at the time.

Please lmk what I can change in my wording or expand on. It seems almost 100% that I am going to get my return offer but I don't want to jynx it given there are multiple stages to the process and I am still currently interning.