Just need some advice/ ideas for what I believe is quarter life crisis.So I am in early 30s and have been working all my career in Financial Tech - starting of as a developer then moving into hybrid BA/PM (only for a year at a IB) and currently working in Project delivery and implementation of financial software products and working with both buy and sell side clients. Previous work has been with System Integration firms FS practices and a IB. Major part of the career has been in clearing/back office and now recently in reg reporting.Now I am thinking of various options to further my career.1. Contracting: Hows the market like for a non native non programmer in the City ? Should I be looking at the BA/PM roles (IT delivery or change ?) or be more focussed on Techology ? Which one is more in demand and more stable? Am I too much of a generalist and less of a specialist ?2. MBA: Is it worth it ? Switch to finance - given the 8 years of cap markets experience? Am I being unrealistic?3. Stay put: Continue in current perm role and then after few years possibly move at a VP level in an IB for IT or Manager (?) in likes of IBM, ACN etc.Thanks

Stay put for a while longer. An MBA wont be worth the investment as it wont move you into a cap markets role, but will burden you with both debt and time out of a fast moving and target market (reg reporting).We are nowhere near the apex of the curve on reg reporting yet - this is an opportunity to put some real definition around your skills and reinvent yourself in this area. Stay on course and you wont really need a move across to Acn or IBM, there will be ample opps within banking.

Mars is right, anyone working on a Risk related function is going to be doing well for a while yet.Thanks to 2007-2008, there is a huge amount of regulation coming in and lots of changes required in Financial Services orgs. Pick the right bank and you will get good pay alongside some great opportunities. Ensure you get plenty of Risk experience and go towards more PM ish work if you can.