Change career into finance at age of 30

Question

Hi everyone!

I am 30 years old, I have a degree in hospitality management, a pretty low GPA and no experience in banking or any finance\management related industry. 
I don't have any connections in the industry either.

I am looking for a drastic career change. I want to break into finance. When I say finance, i mean capital market, Sales and Trading, etc. I'm not really interested in back-office jobs.

Do you think that something like this is doable? With my age and lack of experience? I speak 4 languages, if that makes any difference.

I am competing for the same entry jobs as fresh 21 year-old grads from good schools... I feel that my chances are pretty much zero.

Since my undergrad degree doesn't have any math, I did GMAT twice and scored 540 (Q35 V29) and 600 (Q44 V27) so not impressive at all...

What are your thoughts on this? Am I banging my head against the wall here?..

Thank you!

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Thanks for sharing your profile. I don't see much of a path here for you. I think the age and the lack of experience are not the bigger issues here. If you had a competitive GMAT score and a high GPA you could leverage b-school as a transitionary option. But your profile will make this very tough as well

iliavko · Answer

Dear Dozie,

thank you for you reply! So imagine that I get accepted to a "tier-3" bschool, would you think it's even worth the time and money? Or in my case it would make it impossible to find my first job later on?

I don't know if you are allowed to answer all these questions, but if you could give me a hint, I'd appreciate.

Thank you again!

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

It depends... I would look at the employment report of these target programs to see what type of companies are recruiting there and in what numbers for investment banking. This will give you the best barometer of your chances. Also keep in mind that many investment banks look for 700+ GMAT scores for their employees so you would probably need to improve this score as well if you could find the right fit on the school front

iliavko · Answer

Dear Dozie,

Thank you very much for your reply! Yes, if I decide to move forward it looks that I will have to improve my Gmat... It just happens that I've been studying for it for the past 6 months full-time, like 1000+ hours of study easily because my math was an absolute 0. I couldn't even understand gmat questions, not to mention answer them. So by the end of this time I was burned out and I still am, so it will take me some time before I get myself back together for another round of study!

Ones again, thank so much for your input!

All the best

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Totally understand, the GMAT can be really consuming both from a time perspective and from a mental perspective. So definitely take some time to rest your mind and if it makes sense for your career goals give the GMAT another try if that fits into your plans. Good Luck!

Change career into finance at age of 30

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards