Post Air Force career in Finance career, thread, finance, industry

YouCanDoIt

Hi. Just looking for some advice from other veterans or anyone in the finance industry for that matter.

I'm a B-52 pilot with four years left until retirement. (I read the thread on the F-22 pilot looking to move into finance, and got a lot of good advice out of it. Some would not consider my plane quite as cool, but that's debatable over beers.) I have an undergrad degree from the USAF Academy in Psychology, and a Masters in Aviation Sciences from Embry-Riddle. In hindsight, I wished I had gotten a finance or business degree and an MBA.

I'm looking to transition into a finance career, ideally anything dealing with portfolio management. I just sat for my CFA LII test and felt that it went pretty well. Since I have four years, I'm looking for any advice on what else I can do to beef up my resume since I have no financial background (academically, or professionally). I know the obvious answer will be to "get an MBA" Monetarily, I'm not sure that's gonna happen, unless it's from a no-name school. Can a 42-yr old, Air Force vet get his foot in the door by passing the three CFA tests, and no MBA, or should this be a 'find-a-way" goal for me?

Houjichasan

I think you are probably better off checking out on a military alumni type network than on here. There are many military officers in finance who would be better positioned to give you advice.

BC_MBA_student

Agreed with Palantir. Alumni there may even be more inclined to hook you up with a job too.

YAhmed

flyjetz Wrote:
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> Can a 42-yr old, Air Force vet get his
> foot in the door by passing the three CFA tests,
> and no MBA, or should this be a 'find-a-way" goal
> for me?

Just based on this, the answer is no.

Your best bet is to pass the exams AND use networking like other guys mentioned.

ayaz_mahmud369

Fighter pilots make movies. Bomber pilots make history.

genuinecfa

Yeah man, you're 42 and would be trying to start at 46, the odds are somewhat astronomical to break into the industry at that point. Not trying to be mean at all, that is solely my opinion.

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"Without American production the United Nations could never have won the war."
-Joseph Stalin, Tehran Conference: 1943

bleach

No, 38 now, 42 at retirement. That's just about as young as an officer can possibly retire at. It happens all the time.

mp3bu

work at a government contractor in a finance or business management capacity...thats your best bet

pawn

It seems like you might have a better shot in a sales-type role (institutional equity/fixed income sales) or something like that which isn't quite as technical as buy-side PM.

dandman

Hard work, discipline, and control over your emotions in stressful situations are good qualities for an investor. I've heard it helps in the armed forces too.

Start networking now, and do/read/research as much as you can as early as you can. I'm not sure how, but you may want to look for portfolio managers with military backgrounds and just ask to talk to them for guidance on what to do and who to meet. Before you retire, you should be developing these networks into friendships, by trying to communicate briefly but regularly with the people best positioned to help you. Then, when you are about to retire, you will be partly an insider.

The field is tough to break into. But I do think that military types who demonstrate good situational awareness of markets do get the respect of the investor community.