pennyless

Not sure about that -- it seems like the contraction is secular as much as cyclical. I expect "permanently" reduced demand for finance professionals over the next decade or so. A lot of people are going to get punted from the industry and never get back in. It doesn't mean there aren't other good jobs to be had (corporate development, CFO track, etc.) but I wouldn't expect that things are going to get magically better over the next couple of years. The financial services industry was bloated. This is maybe the worst possible time to be trying to break in for the first time. It's probably going to be a very long time before we see 1999 or 2006 again.