Long-Term Career Planning

Hello WSO, I am a little lost and could benefit from insight and guidance. 

I have been working as a valuation associate at a small consulting firm in the suburbs of Chicago for a year and a half. I graduated from a small private school (non-target by any means) in the Spring of 2022 with a degree in economics and a 3.6 GPA. I did not do any sort summer internship with any large/major/important firms or banks. In my current role, I work on business valuations, M&A sell-side, real estate valuation/appraisals, fixed asset appraisals, and more; each of those areas has several bullet points of additional types of work but I don't to drown readers in detail.

I want to pivot into a higher paying job after I hit the 2-year mark at the end of the year, but I'm having trouble deciding what to do. I'd be interested in IB, PE, or continuing with Consulting, but I'd love to get some advice from the WSO community. Does anyone have any insight, stories, reviews, or information on what I could realistically do with my background and experience, as well as some pros/cons of those career paths? Would a Masters or CFA make sense? Are work experience, courses, interview prep, and networking enough to get hired at prominent firms or banks?

What do you guys think about my situation?

I sincerely thank you in advance 

 

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