Just like to apologize in advance if this post ends up being long but thanks anyways to those that read it and help me gain a realistic expectation of my prospects. So here’s my situation. I’ll be graduating next year with an undergraduate business degree from a reputable business school here in Toronto (Schulich.) I have already completed the requirements for my finance specialization and will be working towards an economics specialization next year. I also plan on writing (and passing) the level 1 CFA exam in December. Additionally I haven’t given it too much thought yet but I’ve been considering trying to learn VBA just to increase my marketability to recruiters. There are two main problems that I could see hindering my ability to get a job next year. For the first two years of my degree I slacked off and received very mediocre grades. This past year I found my passion and took as many finance classes as I could. As a result this past school year my grades are probably somewhere in the top 5% of my class but my overall GPA is still not that amazing just because of the poorer performances the first two years. I also don’t have any relevant work experience which I’m guessing is going to be a severe hindrance when I look for a job. I suppose these are my questions…Will my excellent 3rd year grades offset my poor earlier performance? Do I have a shot of landing a good finance job in September when the recruitment process begins? If not, will my chances increase substantially around January when I (hopefully) pass level 1?