Almost 2 years into FP&A at a FinTech — feel like I'm going in the wrong direction. Is IB still realistic?
Some context before the ask:
I'm a Planning Analyst at a large FinTech in India (~2 years post-MBA). My MBA was in Finance — my original goal was IB or core finance. Campus placements had other plans.
My day-to-day is workforce planning: manpower forecasting models, headcount budgeting, joiner-delay savings calculations. It's structured and I've gotten good at it. But the ceiling is real. The team isn't encouraged to evolve the model, there's almost no appetite for innovation, and I'm effectively self-mentoring at this point.
I'm at what feels like a critical window — early enough to pivot, experienced enough to tell a story. But I keep second-guessing whether I'm wasting that window in the wrong seat.
The pivot I'm targeting: Investment banking — ideally M&A or capital markets. I know that's a big ask from a planning background. But I'm actively building toward it: CFA in progress, working on a self-initiated equity research project (DCF + sector analysis), and I've got a Credit Suisse CFO-function internship on my CV from during the UBS acquisition — which feels like the closest thing I have to a "real finance" signal.
Honest questions I'd love input on:
- Is a direct pivot to IB from planning/forecasting realistic, or do I need a stepping stone (ER, corporate banking, Big 4 deals)?
- Should boutique IB firms be the first target rather than bulge brackets?
- Does CFA Level 1/2 actually move the needle here, or is it mostly noise to IB recruiters?
- Is networking the only real path in, given my non-traditional background?
And I had also attempted CFA L1 in Aug but missed the passing cut-off barely because of two courses. Did not reattempt it afterwards. Had a thought that I should take a break and focus on work and travel for a while.
Not looking for reassurance. If the honest answer is "this is a 3-year project, not a 6-month one," I'd rather hear that now.
Would really appreciate perspective from anyone who's made a similar move — or from anyone in IB/ER who screens candidates like me. 🙏