Re: Advice on being a Equity Research Analyst
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19 Jul 2012, 06:00
Best path to equity research from a non-research background: top 10 MBA (toss NYU in the mix if you're okay with sellside) that has a history of placing people in these roles. Focus on hard finance, take an Excel modeling course, read the WSJ, consider taking the CFA Level 1 during June between your 1st and 2nd year, and apply everywhere you can to land a summer gig in research. If your school has a student fund where you manage real money, get on that too. Join the local chapter of some equity analyst society (it's the BSAS in Boston). Do some research competitions (the CFA Institute does one nationally). Then be prepared to compete alongside some of the strongest applicants in the country who want the same role.
You could aim for one of the better MSF programs and try and get a research associate role on the sellside at one of the bigger name shops. That's something you could do now - just do your due diligence and see how many students actually land on the analyst track post-graduation. BC, for example, only has like 40% of its students in ANY job after graduation. A lot of that is due to the overwhelming number of international students in the class, but still. I don't think other MSF programs fare loads better, either, especially not in placing people in ER roles.
As a "personal banker" I assume you mean you work in Private Wealth Management? The problem with those roles is that they are more sales and less finance and the buyside (even the sellside) knows it. Your best bet would be to study for the CFA now, while you're working, and get at least level 1 under your belt. If you could have levels 1 and 2 done by recruiting time, that'd put you in a much better position.
For what it's worth: I'm a 2012 BC MBA with the asset management track. I had a summer analyst role at a major buyside shop. No offers. Only a few interviews. The brand name of your school will mean more than what you know. That's 100% for sure.