Hello,
YES, YES, it will help to move into a finance job, assuming it is the appropriate level. Not only is it in line with your goals, but it moves you a bit away from the almost unbelievably over-represented
Indian-in-IT group. And, in addition to being in line with your goals – by making the move you demonstrate your commitment to this career path, and also remove any doubt that you understand your future field and are making an informed decision to pursue it.
What else you can do: undertake some community service and develop a track record there of consistency and impact. Also, once you make the work transition, achieve a stellar performance on the job with demonstrable impact and leadership. If you do that, your “too ambitious” programs will be reasonable reaches, albeit high ones. However, I would
never suggest considering Stern a safety! That’s just crazy. It’s very, very competitive.