I’m 38 and came from a tech background (software development and tech management) and I got a job in finance two years ago. I am a L3 candidate and i’ll definitely complete the series. If you love it then I agree with the suggestion to move to a bigger city or find somewhere like Seattle which has less competition but still some Private Equity and Hedge Funds. Even somewhere like Cayman Islands where a lot of Hedge Funds reside. I know several people who got their charter in their late 30’s and into their 40’s and found work. Networking and luck will help. I agree that 40’s is the time last time people will take a chance on you starting out. It’s a little rougher road than a 20 something but we can get there.
I was recently at a finance industry conference and one of the speakers was Christopher Gardener, the guy who The Pursuit of Happyness (yes, that’s the correct spelling) was based on. His story is incredible and I realize that it’s a one in a million, but it’s certainly possible. Besides, there’s well over a million analysts in the world, and these same types of odds apply to those that are actually any good. Good luck Wally, sit Level III.