Career seeker.

Hi,

I am a 26 year old male current working as software developer looking for a career change into finance.

I am looking to be a securities analyst or portfolio manager with possibly also doing some financial writing.

I am fairly intelligent. I have for followed current events closely, particularly economic and financial news, for my entire adult life. I also enjoy econometrics and using mathematical methods to analyze questions. I have a blog on financial events. Finally, I have begun studying for CFA Level I, registered for the December exam and so far I love it and find it easy. Therefore it would not be a complete change in my life, but many of the things I have been doing to reflect my interest in finance have been on my own time, not in my formal job.

Background:
I have a BS in Economics and Political Science (3.3 GPA, public state ugrad), and I also did one year of PhD work in Political Science before deciding it was not for me. Afterwards I worked as Intranet Manager for a prominent political campaign during which I gained software skills, which has led me to my current position. As Intranet Manager I oversaw the campaign intranet from conception to retirement (18 months) in both managerial and technical roles, serving up to 1,000 people across 50 states. In my current software position I am not in a formal managerial role, but I am in a rapidly growing close-knit team, and several of my ideas have been adopted.

I have not yet taken the GMAT.

So should I do this? Is a career change advisable/feasible?

If so then which B-schools should I consider? My goal is to become a top financial analyst/securities analyst and eventually portfolio manager or research. I am not 100% sure yet. I want a job where I can do a lot of research and written reports and interact with clients. I want some exposure to both the buy and sell side if possible.