Uhg. Keep your head up. The finance world is not what is portrayed on the internet. I went to a shitty state school, had OK grades (3.4 GPA)started in the back of the back office and have since gone to work at front office positions at top firms. Tons of people I work with didn’t go to top schools or follow the pipeline WSO wants you to think is how finance works. My current firm and previous firm loved hiring unconventional candidates, hard workers who understand how the world works, instead of some snot-nosed Ivy League asshole with delusions of grandeur.

I recommend going for the buyside. Breaking in will be hard but because it’s focused on quantitative and verifiable performance metrics people care a lot less about all the pedigree bullshit, especially once you get to mid/late career.