This is the story of Harshit, our student who had cleared both CFA Level I and II and was actively looking to enter the core finance role. He had done his graduation from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College and had a clear goal in mind — to work in a serious finance role, not just a generic job.
But even with strong qualifications, things weren’t going as planned. He applied to many companies but wasn’t getting shortlisted for the roles he wanted. And in the few interviews that did happen, the practical questions made him realise he wasn’t fully prepared.
That’s when Harshit understood something very clearly. Studying is important, but knowing how to apply what you’ve studied is even more important.
He joined our Financial Modeling and Valuation course. Over the next two months, we watched Harshit go from unsure to unstoppable. He practiced, he asked the right questions, and he improved day by day.
Today, Harshit is placed at Equity360. He’s finally doing the kind of finance work he had dreamed of since his college days.
It took time, effort and a lot of learning. Here’s how Harshit made his way into the role he always wanted:
1. You had cleared CFA Level I and II. On paper, you were already well-qualified. What made you pause and say, “I need to do more”?
At first, I genuinely believed that having CFA Level I and II on my resume would be enough to get into core finance roles. I had worked hard for both levels, so I expected the interviews and shortlists to follow.
But once I actually started applying, I saw a different side of things. Most companies didn’t shortlist me at all. And in the few interviews I did get, the questions were focused on application. I was asked to explain valuation logic or walk through a model, and I realised I didn’t feel ready.
That made me step back and think seriously about what was missing. I understood the concepts well but didn’t know how to use them in real scenarios. That was the point where I decided I couldn’t rely only on theory anymore. I had to brush up my skills and learn how the actual work is done. That’s when I started looking for practical courses and picked financial modeling.
2. What exactly were you struggling with before joining The Wall Street School?
I had studied financial concepts in CFA and understood the formulas, but when it came to actual interviews, I realised how different things were. There was one interview where I was given a company and asked to prepare a rough valuation and present my thought process. I had never done anything like that before.
I froze for a few minutes and then tried to put something together using what I had studied, but it just didn’t feel complete. They asked me to explain why I picked a certain multiple for trading comps, and I didn’t have a strong reason. I also struggled with explaining how to forecast revenue based on industry assumptions.
That experience stayed with me. I walked out of that interview realising that I wasn’t underqualified in terms of knowledge, but I didn’t have the structure or the practice to apply it in a real-world context. That’s when I knew I needed proper training that focused more on practical learning and less on just theory.
3. How did your mindset and approach to finance change during the course?
A lot actually.Before the course, I used to look at finance in a very academic way. I knew the definitions, the steps and the formulas. But I didn’t really know how people in the industry think or what kind of analysis actually goes into a valuation or deal.
Once the course started, I began thinking more practically. I stopped focusing on just getting the answer and started focusing on the why behind every assumption or number. Slowly I started connecting the dots as to how industry research feeds into revenue forecasts, how assumptions reflect in the cash flow and how everything has to tie together logically.
Another big shift was in confidence. Earlier, I used to feel nervous about explaining my thought process. But after doing multiple models and getting feedback regularly, I started feeling more prepared and structured in how I presented things.
It felt like I had moved from being a student to someone who was actually ready for the job.
4. Can you share a moment from the course that stayed with you?
Yes, there was one moment I still remember clearly. I had completed a financial model and thought everything was fine. All the statements were linked and I had spent quite a bit of time making sure the numbers looked neat. But when I started reviewing the cash flow statement, something just didn’t add up. The figures were off and no matter how many times I checked, I couldn’t figure out what I had missed.
The next day it was Himanshu sir’s class, I asked for help and he pointed out a small linking mistake in the working capital section. It was such a minor error, but it had affected the entire model.
That experience taught me that in finance, even a small mistake can throw everything off. From that point onward, I became much more careful with how I built models. I started double-checking logic, not just formulas. That habit has stayed with me ever since.
5. What would you say to someone who’s in their final year and still unsure about their finance career?
I would say it’s okay to be confused. Everyone feels that way at some point. But the one thing you should not do is sit and wait.
If you want to work in finance, you have to show that you can actually do the work. Just having a degree or passing exams is not enough. You need to know how to use Excel, build company models, and explain your thinking clearly.
When I was in the same place, I had studied a lot. But I still wasn’t getting job calls. Once I learned how to do the practical work, everything started falling into place.
So my advice is simple. Don’t stop after just studying. Learn how to do. Practice, ask questions, and keep improving. Once you do that, the right job will come to you.
Harshit’s journey shows that having good degrees is not always enough. What really helps you move forward is learning how to do the actual work and putting in the effort every day.
He didn’t just sit and hope for a job to come to him. He worked on his skills, practiced again and again and got ready. So when the right opportunity came, he was fully prepared to grab it. That’s what made all the difference.You can connect with him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harshit-gargg/
