Is postponing my Master's in Finance worth it? Looking for guidance on entering investment banking at 35 with non-conventional background

Investment banking Exit opportunities
1

Hey folks,

I’m 35 with an Economics degree and did some IB internships back in 2014. After spending years in healthcare and medical research, I got accepted into a solid MSF program (Boston College) starting Fall 2025. Now I’m thinking about pushing it back to Fall 2026.

Current situation:

  • Been applying for pre-MSF internships (investment banking, transaction advisory, corporate development, search funds) for months with no luck
  • My actual finance work ended in 2014 - been doing pre-med and clinical stuff since then
  • Got my FMVA certification, studied on my own, even wrote some finance articles for WSO but zero hands-on deal experience
  • Want to focus on healthcare IB or private equity down the road, but my background is pretty unconventional

What I’m worried about:

If I go ahead with the MSF program this fall without getting any internship or deal experience first, I’ll probably get filtered out during IB recruiting and waste the degree. But I’m also scared that waiting another year won’t help if I still can’t get an internship by then.

Does it make sense to defer and spend the next year really going hard on networking, cold outreach, and building a better narrative? Or should I just start the program and aim for transaction advisory, corp dev, or strategic finance roles after graduating?

Anyone here take a similar route or have thoughts on getting into finance later in life? Really appreciate any advice.

2

Your healthcare background is gold! Start this fall and hit up BC’s career services right away. Tons of finance pros switched careers later - you’re not behind, you’ve got a unique edge. Focus on nailing your story now!

3

honestly, at 35 i wouldn’t defer another year - that’ll probably hurt more than help. msf programs have solid career services and you’ll network with other motivated people. your healthcare background is actually a huge asset for healthcare-focused groups - don’t underestimate that domain expertise. i’d go this fall and just cast a wider net during recruiting instead of only targeting ib.

4

This isn’t just about deferring vs. starting now. You’ve got 10 years of healthcare experience - that’s exactly what investment banks want, especially their healthcare groups. They need people who actually understand regulatory stuff, clinical trials, and medical device markets. Don’t see your non-traditional background as a problem - it’s your biggest selling point. The MSF program at BC has solid industry connections you can’t get on your own. You’ll have credibility and access to alumni networks that beat another year of cold emails. Plenty of career changers make this work without prior internships. For recruiting, don’t just focus on traditional IB. Look at healthcare PE, life sciences consulting, and corp dev at pharma companies. They’ll value your clinical background way more than pure finance credentials. The trick isn’t waiting longer - it’s building a story that connects your healthcare expertise to finance while you’re in the program.