The Career Changer’s Handbook
You did not start in banking — that does not mean you cannot get there. Every viable lateral route into investment banking, from the Big 4 and consulting to corporate finance and restructuring, mapped by a senior banker who made the transition himself, with the timing and positioning that actually work.
Who This Handbook Is For
This handbook is for professionals who did not enter banking through the graduate front door and want a realistic, route-by-route map of how to switch in — with the timing, positioning and trade-offs spelled out rather than glossed over.
What’s Inside
Ten chapters that map every credible lateral route into investment banking — from the Big 4 and consulting to corporate finance and restructuring — and the timing, MBA decision and transition plan that turn a career change into an offer.
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01
The Career Changer’s Reality CheckAn honest assessment of which backgrounds convert, which do not, and the trade-offs you must accept before you start.
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02
The Lateral Hiring MachineHow banks actually hire laterally — the windows, the headhunters, and the internal mechanics that decide who gets called.
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03
The Big 4 Route — TAS, FDD and ValuationThe strongest non-banking route decoded: which teams convert, how to position TAS and FDD experience, and when to move.
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04
The Consulting Route — MBB and the Technical GapHow to turn a consulting CV into a banking offer, and the specific modelling skills you must demonstrate to close the gap.
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05
Corporate Finance, FP&A and the Hard PathsThe realistic routes from in-house finance — and an honest read on which are worth attempting and which are not.
- Plus five more: restructuring as a counter-cyclical entry point; the MBA decision framework; the age-and-timing calculation; building your 18-month transition plan; and the interview, the offer and day one.
Preview the Content
Listen, watch, and explore before you buy. These study materials are generated from the handbook itself.
The Getting Into Investment Banking Series
This handbook is part of a structured sequence. Each title builds on the last — or stands alone as a reference.
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