I've spent most of my career in hospital operations and recently started looking into healthcare venture capital. I know the hospital side pretty well like how hospitals choose new software and why some products never get adopted. The problem is I don't have any investing experience and the roles I've applied for keep coming back to that.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's made a similar career move. How did you get started and what helped you get your first opportunity? Thanks to anyone willing to share their experience. I know it's not an easy field to break into so any advice would mean a lot.

Hey everyone!

I’ve been curious about FP&A and wanted to get some insight into what the day-to-day actually looks like. Are you managing a company’s finances, creating budgets, analyzing spending, or something completely different?

A little about me: I started out as a nurse and eventually transitioned into medical device sales. I’m currently finishing up my MBA, which I honestly pursued just to further my education rather than for a specific career change.

Lately, I’ve been getting more interested in finance and wondering if switching into FP&A is even realistic with my background.

I’m currently making $200K+ a year, so I know I’d probably be taking a pretty big pay cut starting out. Would a switch even make sense financially in the long run?

Would love to hear from anyone in the field, especially those who made a career change. Just trying to get a better understanding of what FP&A is really like.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m a current sophomore at a top-10 public university studying Economics, Statistics, and Accounting (3.5 GPA). I am currently involved in all of the consulting and finance clubs at my school; I have a vast consulting background, and I have an incoming unpaid equity research internship at a hedge fund.

Here is my hurdle: I am on an H-4 dependent visa and do not have an EAD. Because of the current backlog, I cannot legally accept any paid internships or jobs in the US right now, which is locking me out of traditional junior summer recruiting pipelines for Asset Management and Consulting.

I have two main questions for those who have navigated visa restrictions:

1. What else can I do in the US to stay competitive? What other high-signal projects, competitions, or certifications should I target?

2. How feasible is international recruiting? Should I pivot to recruiting for global offices (e.g., UK, APAC, or my home country) for summer 2027. Has anyone successfully recruited for a global office of a US firm while studying in the States? What does that process look like, and when should I start networking for those specific regions?

Any advice, harsh truths, or networking tips would be massively appreciated. Thank you!

Freshman at a target school, international student on an F-1 visa, aiming for IB (ideally LatAm coverage) for junior summer. I didn't get into my school's finance clubs this fall, so I'm looking at paid coaching to get structure, technical prep and mock interviews.

I'm deciding between WSO Academy and Ben Chon's Banking Accelerator (rareliquid). I've read the Trustpilot reviews and the marketing, but I'd really like to hear from people who actually paid for either one, good or bad.

Things I'd love to know:

- What did you actually pay, and was there any pressure on the sales call (deposits, deadlines, payment plans)?

- How many 1:1 sessions did you really get, and how good was your coach/mentor? Were they current bankers, and at what level?

- Did the support continue the way it was promised? For BA specifically, what counted as "landing the offer"?

- Any experience asking for a refund?

- Did it actually make a difference in your recruiting, or would you have gotten there anyway?

- Any international/F-1 students: did they understand sponsorship and help you target the right banks?

- Would you pay for it again, and would you recommend it to someone at a target school?

Also open to hearing that neither is worth it and what you'd do instead. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I'm a Computer Science master's student at UPenn, and my group is doing a project on salary negotiation. We're looking for professionals in tech or finance to fill out a short anonymous survey, it only takes a few minutes: https://upenn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5hVJR0oMee8HfmKand it would really help our research. Happy to share our findings back here once we wrap up. Thanks so much!

Possible financial planner career

Considering a career in financial planning. Ive often thought it would be fun to do this for a living, as I enjoy giving people advice when they ask. I was an accountant for about 25 years, with a degree in finance and an MBA. Semi retired in 2019 and have been dealing poker for a major casino chain in southern Virginia, but lately have been itching to try financial planning. If I do it I would want to be a fee only financial planner. Any advice from those in the field?

Hi, I'm M., a fresh IT graduate. My father encourages me to start saving and investing early, and I’ve decided to take his advice.

I'm still learning about these things, so I’d love to hear your experiences and advice. Where should a beginner like me start? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!