After becoming proficient in investment banking, Hannah Song realized senior roles were primarily sales-focused. Her desire to dig deeply into a few companies' strategies and operations—going "a mile deep" instead of "a mile wide"—prompted her successful move into private equity.

Statistically proving a money manager's skill can take longer than their career. Therefore, soft skills like client communication and responsiveness, learned in environments like consulting, become a more reliable and immediate way to stand out and build a durable business.

At age 17, Hannah Song deliberately chose to study accounting, viewing it as the "language of business." This foundational knowledge proved critical for her later pivots into investment banking and private equity, giving her a distinct advantage and deeper understanding of company financials.

To switch industries, find a role where your existing expertise is immediately valuable. After 18 years in finance, Gymshark's CCO moved to a retailer with a credit offering. This "bridge role" gave her the confidence and runway to learn the new sector while already adding value, de-risking the career transition.

Training at large institutional firms like Goldman Sachs provides a foundational skill set in commercial and financial diligence that is directly applicable to earlier-stage investing. The scale of the investment changes, but the core process for identifying and underwriting risks remains the same.

When transitioning to a new industry, your lack of domain knowledge is secondary. Focus on your "superpower": the proven, repeatable process you use to deliver results. Articulate your ability to launch, rally teams, and solve problems, as these core skills are universally valuable.

Firms that look beyond the traditional investment banking path gain a competitive advantage. Professionals from different training backgrounds like equity research or consulting bring unique analytical frameworks that are additive to a firm's collective investment judgment and critical thinking.

When changing domains, hiring managers are skeptical. Don't just list common PM skills like running scrum. Instead, build a bridge by telling concrete stories about how your fundamental skill set generated significant financial outcomes (revenue, margin, etc.) for past employers. Outcomes are industry-agnostic.

A non-linear career path is a source of unique solutions, not a disadvantage. Reframe your varied past by translating skills into the new context. For example, a musician's "tour logistics" becomes a marketer's "launch planning," showcasing transferable expertise.