This is the story of Mayank, our student who had already done his MBA in Finance and even cleared CFA Level I. On paper, it looked like he was all set for a solid job in finance. But reality turned out to be very different.
Everyone around him thought getting placed would be easy. But Mayank knew something was missing. He was genuinely interested in finance and that’s the reason he had studied it in detail, and worked hard through his MBA. Still, when it came to applying for core finance jobs, he was barely getting shortlisted. And even when he did, the interviews were tougher than expected.
That’s when he decided to stop waiting and do something about it. He joined the Financial Modeling course at The Wall Street School. And that one step made all the difference.
He finally got the kind of hands-on learning that no classroom had given him before. From forecasting revenue to building full financial models from scratch, Mayank started thinking like someone already working in the industry. It wasn’t just about Excel or fancy terms. It was about understanding how things actually work in the actual situations..
Today, Mayank is working as a Financial Analyst at BioRx. He’s using his CFA and MBA knowledge, but now with real practical skills to back it up.
But it wasn’t a smooth ride. Here’s how Mayank turned things around, in his own words:
1. First of all, big congratulations on your placement, Mayank! Can you tell us a bit about your background? When did your interest in finance really begin?
Thank you so much. Honestly, finance started making sense to me even before my MBA. I was always curious about how businesses make money, how they grow, what makes a company worth investing in.
During my MBA, finance just felt like the subject I naturally connected with. It wasn’t something I had to push myself to study. It had logic, numbers, and strategy all mixed into one. That mix really clicked with me. I knew I wanted to make a career in this field.
2. You already had an MBA and had cleared CFA Level I. What made you feel that a financial modeling course was still needed?
To be honest, I thought my qualifications were enough. But once I started applying for jobs, reality hit.
There was one interview where everything was going well. Then they gave me a simple DCF case and asked me to build a model in Excel. I understood the theory, but I had no idea how to start. I just stared at the screen, trying to figure it out, and I knew I was stuck.
That moment made it very clear. I had knowledge, but no hands-on skill to apply it. That’s when I decided I had to do something about it and started looking for a proper financial modeling course.
3. Before joining the course, what kind of challenges were you facing while applying for jobs or internships?
Getting shortlisted was the biggest issue for me. Even with decent qualifications, I wasn’t getting many calls. And when I did, the interviews were tough. They would ask for practical examples, or give me tasks on Excel and I didn’t have the confidence to handle them and kept on rejecting.
I also noticed that people who had done some sort of practical training or live projects were performing better. That made me realise that something was missing in my preparation.
4. How did the financial modeling course help you with real-world skills and interview prep? Any specific parts that really made a difference?
The course was very practical like from day one, we were given real company case studies. We had to build complete models on our own, including income statements, balance sheets, cash flows and valuations.
It was not about just watching someone else do it. We had to get our hands dirty and actually build everything from scratch. That practice really helped me a lot.
Mock interviews were also a big part of the course. I got feedback on where I was going wrong and how to fix it. I also became quicker with Excel, got better at structuring my answers, and felt way more prepared when I faced actual interviews later.
5. Lastly, what would you say to other finance students who are struggling to get placed right now?
I’d say don’t give up. It’s easy to feel disappointed after rejections, but trust me, everyone goes through that.
Instead of just focusing on placements, first focus on working on your skills. Once you can show you know how to work, companies will take notice.
Even if you’ve done an MBA or CFA like I did, it’s not enough on its own. You need to know how to apply those concepts. So take good guidance, brush up your skills, take feedback and main thing, keep practicing. The right opportunity will surely come.
Mayank’s story is a reminder that even strong degrees are not always enough. You need to know how to apply what you’ve learnt. Once he filled that gap, things started falling into place. He’s now doing what he always wanted but with more clarity and confidence.
You can connect with him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayank-srivastava-a402991bb/
