24Yr Old Corp Financial Analyst Looking to Jump to Equity Research

Hey everyone. I also posted this in the PE forum since I am interested in both. I am currently a Financial Analyst at a large Fortune 500 manufacturing company and enjoy it for the most part but my passion is for investment banking, private equity, trading etc.

My experience is mostly in the corporate finance world and I feel this sets me apart and allows me to analyze investments from another perspective. I am always eager to learn more about anything related to private equity and investing and I have worked hard to learn about this industry in my free time. With that said, I cannot emphasize enough how passionate I am for the industry and how hard I will work to be successful in it.

My main experience within corp finance relates around financial statement analysis, journal entries, internal controls, cost accounting, financial reporting and variance analysis.

I am currently in Charlotte and looking to make the switch. I have 2 years experience in corp finance and had 5 internships in school - only one of which was investing related - at a small 2 person consulting firm. What are my best bets for getting into this industry and how can I best position myself? The problem I'm running into is most positions I am seeing listed require 1-3 years of IB specific experience rather than any corp finance experience. I'm getting a little worried...

What would you do in my shoes?

Thank you so much guys.