Career Change

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Career Change

by julia » Sun Aug 02, 2009 5:33 pm
Hi Stacy,

I am interested attending Bschool fall 2010. I am a nurse practitioner with about 5 years of experience. Worked 3.5 yrs as ICU nurse, full time MSN degree for 2 years, and just began working as NP.

Ended up in nursing for many reasons, all bad ones, and even after the advanced degree, I just don't feel satisfied in my career.

I'm looking to make a complete career change into financial services and wondering if that is possible considering that I have absolutely no business experience. Not even experience as a nurse manager.

Ideally, I would like to go into investor relations or financial services marketing. Additional interests include portfolio management or sales rep. I've always really wanted to be in the financial services world, particularly in areas with heavy client interaction (believe I would make a good fit; smart, hardworking, willing to pull long hours, excellent personal skills). Healthcare management consulting or biopharma marketing and sales are my backup plans.

Given that I would probably not get into a top ten school, is this transition possible? I'd be breaking into the finance world at 31 or 32. Is this too late?

Also, I live in NYC area and looking into Fordham and UConn (undecided about FT or PT). Do you know anything about either schools reputation?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much for your time.
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by Lisa Anderson » Mon Aug 03, 2009 7:48 am
Dear Julia,

I do think it is possible for you to transition to financial services, but it will take more than just getting your MBA. The MBA is the first and most logical step. After that, it will greatly depend on your networking and job search skills to secure the first opportunity. Since you do want to make a significant career change, a full-time program makes more sense as it allows you to do an internship and gives you more flexibility for your job search. You are not too old to make a change, but it is good to have realistic expectations. I would suggest doing some informational interviews now with folks in jobs that you aspire to in financial services to learn what those jobs are really like and ask them questions on what you need to do to make a successful transition into the industry. As for Fordham and UConn, I think these are two good programs with solid reputations in the northeast. So if you are wanting to stay in New York, I think they would be good options for you.

Best of luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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