AnalystForum

Nothing in financial services is rocket science.  It is not even skill.  It is mostly luck. (source: Kahneman).  So yes, you can do just as well as anyone holding such a position.  Probably more than just passable under the right circumstances.
As for a sell-side model, my duty to my employer wont allow me to share any but they vary greatly in terms of inputs.  Can you get access to Factset?  Many analysts post them online.
There are many Associate positions avaialble but this is the real grunt work.  You do all the modeling, draft all the notes, get paid peanuts but you get the experience and if you have a good attitude, can eventually move up to where your name is on a report or leverage the role to get a #2 spot at another firm.
I think SMID consumer is good because in certain verticals you can model in some inteersting stuff.  Like retail.  Large cap is pretty well covered and industrials are not interesting.  Healthcare would be very value add but need specialized knowledge of drugs, patent cliffs, etc.