| Topic Name: |
crash course on risk management |
| Message Name: |
problems with switching |
| Date Posted: |
04/08/2007 |
| In Reply To: |
Thanks, your explanation clarified a lot! I'm 24 and have only been in IT consulting for a couple years, but I know it's not for me... I figure I should make the switch sooner than later.
Was it difficult for you to switch? It seems there are a lot of transferable skills from IT consulting that may carry over to finance, but I've heard it can be hard to do without the ubiquitous reset-button (aka more school). Do you mind if I ask what you're doing now? |
| Message: |
switching careers was hard for a couple of reasons.
first you have to find someone who will hire you -- not always easy in finance if you're not coming right out of school.
then when you get there you might have some transferrable skills, but there is a lot of stuff you won't know, and because you're not coming in through the standard undergraduate path the training you get might not be as thorough. so you'll have to cope with feeling like you don't have a clue again.
you might also struggle with being pigeon-holed into things you thought you left behind, especially if the firm you're joining isn't well-organized. this is particularly a problem if you have good programming skills -- everyone is always short of IT development resources.
that said, if you can find a firm that will hire you, you won't necessarily need more school to make the change, so you can start your new career without debt. the benefit of going to school, of course, is that it gives you an opportunity to meet lots of different employers and ask about lots of different types of jobs. it's a lot harder to check out a variety of types of job otherwise, especially if you're interviewing while still working at your old job.
i'm in structured finance now, having spent a couple of years trading. so far so good.
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