r/FinancialCareers

My manager was trying to send me a project plan and sent the wrong file. The file turned out to have the salary details for the entire team.

I've been with this company for 3 years, and I consistently get 'exceeds expectations' on my reviews. I thought the 3% annual raise I was getting was the norm. Turns out that's not the case at all. The person in the cube next to me, who has the exact same title as me, makes $20,000 more than I do. We both started within weeks of each other and have nearly identical backgrounds. And the kicker is, the kid they just hired 8 months ago makes more than me.

I genuinely don't know what to do with this information. What's seen cannot be unseen. Looks like it's time to start polishing up my LinkedIn profile.

Long story short, I got an internship in audit at one of the Big Four companies. I was super thrilled because I think it is a great opportunity and I am genuinely interested in the field. However, now I am questioning whether my perception of this might be wrong. When I mentioned it to some of my peers, I got comments about salary in audit not being good, about having limited perspectives if going into audit, and generally a pitying attitude from them. My career adviser stays neutral, but I am afraid they are just glad I got something because others are struggling to find an internship right now.

I would like some advice. Is my view of audit as a good way to enter the finance world wrong? Is my impression of doing a Big Four internship too optimistic? Did I make a mistake accepting the offer? I would love some advice because I was very certain before, but now I feel myself swaying, like am I doing something wrong?

For people doing equity research, how much time do you actually spend on earnings calls vs just reading summaries?

I’ve been digging into a few full calls recently and it’s honestly kind of wild how much is buried in them.

Like tone changes, avoiding certain questions, repeating certain phrases.

But it’s also super time consuming. Not really scalable.

Just wondering how people here approach it in practice.

What if I start in Consulting or in FinTech? What will my exit opportunities look like comparatively?

I’m a contract staff working in a traditional european BB in APAC - any idea whether there is any wiggle room for negotiation when talking about contract renewal? Should I negotiate with my HR?

I am currently an underwriter for small business in specialty commercial insurance. I do not love my role as it is a volume game and there is so much admin work. Have you seen anybody able to pivot elsewhere?

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently been admitted to the UCL MSc Finance program and will be starting this fall. I’m coming from the U.S., and my goal is to land a finance role in London after the program.

From what I understand, UCL is considered a semi-target for finance recruiting at the graduate level, so I’m trying to be as proactive as possible before the program starts.

I wanted to ask people here who have gone through UK finance recruiting or similar programs what they would recommend doing before the program begins and during the year to maximize employability in London.

If anyone has advice, experiences, or resources that helped them prepare for London recruiting, I’d really appreciate hearing about them.

Thanks in advance.

I (24M) have been on the portfolio management side of banking/lending for 3 years now.

Current comp is 115k base + 20-30% bonus in a HCOL. And I’d say that I’m happy with where my career is as of now… However, I do feel like I’m missing out on something more. I would say that I’m definitely someone who is money driven and I do get FOMO hearing about Corp Fin or Non Bank finance positions that offer RSUs/Equity in some sort of additional comp structure. A part of me wants to see what all of that’s about. Im at the point where I can graduate into a relationship (senior) position at the bank or pivot into a different crevice of the industry.

So here’s my question. For people in those positions (and for those who have been in banking alike)…are all of these roles gold mines or is it really case by case? Are the comp structures outright better than banking? Is there more potential for future career earnings because of the developed comp structure? What are the downsides/risks I should consider if switching?

TIA

Hey everyone, I am an upcoming freshman at an undergraduate college.

When deciding majors, I am wondering if I am the right fit for law school. I mainly want to make money (regardless of the grind), and was wondering whether finance or corporate law can make more. Also, I'm deciding between UCI and UIUC for undergraduate, with hopes of transferring out, so which would provide an easier path (higher GPA)?

I am looking for advice. I work in the Front Office Treasury team of a large bank (based in the US). I have a total experience of 4 years - 2 in the current role, and 2 years in market risk management before it. I have good knowledge of fixed income products and interest rate derivatives, and follow the markets regularly. Education-wise, I have an MS in Finance.

I have been contemplating exit opportunities, and I'm really interested in DCM or LevFin. How do I go about making this transition? Is it feasible?

I would especially love to know what people already on these fields think. Also, from people who were in a similar situation to mine.

Thanks :)

Hi all,

31M in Toronto working FO in a major bank in an Asset Allocation role for over a year. Was oversold the role and have been looking for an exit opp.

Current role is essentially a fund of fund (underlying funds are all active fundamental driven mutual funds) heavy on operations and manager research. Feels a lot more like MO than FO and have a sinking feeling that my learning curve has become flat or even inverted for what really matters. Scared of being pigeon-holed if I stay too long.

Have 5 years exp in independent sell side global macro research (1 yr multi assets 2 years US credit, 2 yrs in sales), undergrad in Canadian target and masters from French target in finance.

Want to make the leap to rates research, strat or work in a pm team.

Wondering if it may be too late for me. Would love to get your thoughts.

Thanks for your time!

Recently, after cold emailing some wealth management firms, I got a response and interview from a firm. However, I am 16 years old and still in high school, so what questions should I expect to be asked?

Over the last (almost) 2 yrs of my post qualification exp, I have switched jobs 3 times. Started in Big4 TAS, tried to explore outside, didn’t like it, switched back to B4 TAS, didn’t see myself being there for a long time ans currently in FP&A.

I have taken pay cuts to be where I am right now with the hopes of doing something that I actually like.

If I had stayed where I was from the start I would be making significantly a lot more than I am right now. Basically, the decisions I have made have taken me back to scratch.

I am now overthinking about whether I should’ve just stayed in TAS or even if I should go back now as it does pay more. The current job does seem fine although I cannot stop thinking about the whatifs.

Pls help

i know you're sick of all the students posting in here. i know it gets annoying. i'm sorry.

i am considering an offer from Vanguard for their entry level client rep/relationship associate role. i know it's on the phones, and i know it's probs not going to be anything fun or amazing, in the beginning at least. but i have a lot of fun hobbies that work around the hours of this, so not too concerned about that since the WLB will be really good. i'm about to graduate with an econ degree, and i don't really have many options on the table to be honest in this job market.

i just want to know what kind of career progression follows from a role like this? a lot of the info i found on here + google + glassdoor has been helpful but a good chunk of it is not as recent information as i would have hoped.

should i get my FINRA series certs through them and get out if its a dead end? after sticking it through for a year (and probably some change), what kind of internal opportunities open up? are there actual networking opportunities internally in a role like this? i would be at their main HQ in PA, if that changes anything...

what about if i leave after gaining some experience (and certs)? what kind of experience and doors open up in that case?

i would like to hear from some folks who currently work there if possible (or used to and left semi-recently).

please do point me in the right direction if this is not the right sub for this. thanks!!

I’m a contract staff working in a traditional european BB in APAC - any idea whether there is any wiggle room for negotiation when talking about contract renewal? And should I negotiate with my HR?

I am currently referring to Deloitte in this post, but please give me advice for anywhere!!

Hey! I am in my 3rd year of studying Economic & Social History/Sociology, and I've been told that Deloitte is pretty decent for hiring graduates from humanities/social science backgrounds, so I think I want to work towards the graduate scheme. I'm looking for some extracurricular advice for things to add to my CV to become a better-fitting candidate. I also just want to note that I do not know anything really about economics, so as stated later in this post, I am putting myself out there to unofficially learn the fundamentals once the semester begins again.

I did not ever imagine myself going into a field of work like this, and so, I don't have a lot of work experience in this area. I always imagined myself working within the SOCIAL side of social sciences (i.e. teaching, social work, politics, etc.), so to chase the other side of my degree is insane whiplash. I am very excited by this new perspective however, and I am very willing to make it work due to having so many transferable skills. I am confident in my ability to adapt, and I have a few months to tailor my skills to a different perspective.

I think I would like to look into doing the Deloitte Graduate Scheme as an Auditor! I would consider any position right now though! Auditing just sounds like the best fit so far.

I have a TON of work experience and volunteering in the "social" side of my degree (i.e. tutoring young students in history, politics, sociology etc, helping at homeless shelters & packaging food for food banks, helping the elderly & vulnerable in hospitals etc) but I have none of that experience on the other side-Economics. I am going to take extra classes in Business and Economics in my last year of university to try to mould myself into a better candidate, but I will not get official recognition for this as part of my degree, unfortunately, and this will simply be for my own confidence. I can still add this to my CV, but I will not be able to present the evidence that I took these classes officially. Economics, I am not too worried about presenting, as it is already in my degree title, but Business will not show up.

I also plan to deep dive into basic economics and potentially finance over the summer, using university-level 1 textbooks. There are a few societies in my university that would align with what Deloitte would look for in a candidate, but some of these societies focus more on culture instead of academics (i.e. movie nights, quiz nights etc). The extra-curricular activities I am looking for would ideally be individual.

I don't have fantastic math skills, but I worked my ass off to get my basic qualification, and achieved it as an adult by going to evening classes after my regular day classes at uni, and I would work even harder to better my math skills if needed for a chance to work there. Due to COVID, it took me 4 years to get my maths certified, but I blame 2 of those years for the lack of exam support & cancellations, and the 3rd year for a lack of confidence. My 4th year was my optional return as an adult, and I got a C! Considering my grandfather was dying for most of this evening class, I am very happy that I passed with a C, but I can see if this makes me a worse candidate due to the low score. I would say I am pretty good at maths as an adult, as long as I am not quizzed on the spot about something really complicated (I'm dyslexic too!) but I worked with maths a lot more outside of school in cafes etc, which has granted me the fundamental money handling skills, budgeting and numeracy. Algebra? Not my thing!

I have between June and August 2026 to add stuff to my CV for the intake in September (I believe this is the due date for the applications?). Does anyone have any recommendations? I can do volunteering, potential short-term work experience, and tighten up my knowledge in specific subjects, but I will not earn official credentials for this (I will still add it to my CV, though!). I cannot do the summer vacation scheme before anyone asks! I missed the deadline due to only hearing about the company recently!

I appreciate any support! I am very open to any suggestions. Any questions, please ask :)

Non-target finance/data analytics junior with a 4.0.

Experience:

• Tier 1 automotive finance internship

• Upcoming Ally finance internship in Detroit

I’m trying to maximize full-time recruiting for senior year.

For people in finance, what would move the needle most from here:

• best paths to target besides return offer

• side projects that actually help

• certifications worth doing, if any

• best way to offset weaker extracurricular/leadership background

Interested in corporate finance, FP&A, treasury, credit, strategy, and analytics.

Would really appreciate honest advice from people who know what actually gets noticed.