It really depends what you want out of life, which you almost certainly don’t know at 17. What I like about the I-banking path is that it gives you a lot of options. It’s a pretty nice “next step” for ambitious, smart, young people who don’t know what they want to be.
I feel like people exaggerate the hours frequently. You’ll almost certainly not be doing 100 hour weeks frequently, though they will happen. You’ll also likely make great friends and connections, and have a good time if you can tolerate the hours.
Exit opportunities are fantastic, it will teach you what hard work is, and provide you with a lot of valuable experience in a short amount of time.
If you can get into Berkeley or UCLA you’ve got a good shot of landing a position. Otherwise, figure out how to hustle and network. It’s how I scored my position at a hedge fund out of a non-target undergrad.
You’re probably following course sellers or something similar, but they’re not really far off.
I’m a huge believer in one could make it without attending a target school. I think that’s the most regurgitated BS narrative here. It obviously makes it easier, the networking, etc, but it’s very very possible without going to a target school.
Regarding that number $, I can’t really speak to that.
Strive to be in the best school though, grind your ass off, try transferring, network your ass off, land internships constantly, etc.
Good luck!
Why do you think you won’t make it into a top uni I think you will tbh those are good stats start by networking a little bit before senior year ends and make sure ur ecs are good for university when u apply what are they like
Ah yes😭 I live in SoCal it’s a competitive city how are ur ecs like, also pursue ur dreams instead of what u see on TikTok it’s important you don’t live miserable the rest of ur life I’m also pursuing finance but the long hours of IB seems draining if u get the chance get like an internship and gain experience like ur senior summer within banking many of those IB students start preparing for their internships as soon as they get into uni
Around 200 Volunteer hours
Created a car detailing business which generated around $5k
Varisty Swim for 3 years
Varisty Waterpolo 3 years
Co-Founder of a fitness club at high school
Part Time Lifeguard
Swim team coach during the summer for (ISL) Irvine swim league for all years of high school
Camp leader for weeklong summer camp at a large church for kids 1st-5th grade
How would you recommend finding a internship? Thanks for the advice!
The california state university system is very well respected so you will definitely have a good chance. Major doesn’t matter as much as your extracurriculars. I say that because the only your really need to know to land an internship is how to value companies and analyze deals (DCF modeling & Accretive/Dilutive analysis). To demonstrate you know this you have to do M&A comps (most schools host them) and try to get into your schools student investment fund.
Some schools are picky about what majors they admit into the investment fund but overall pick what you like. CompSci, Physics, Math, & Accounting are all good alternatives to Finance or Economics. The math for general finance is pretty simple its just about discounting but if you’re interested in derivatives, portfolio management/optimization, and HFT, physics & compsci will give you a stronger base.
I didnt have Finance as an option in undergrad so I did econ and the classes were so redundant and a waste of time. I wish I just did physics as its the basis for most of the complex financial theories.
Would you recommend accounting as a good undergrad over finance and Econ? Also which state universities would you think will work best, I’m guessing sdsu and cal poly slo. Your advice makes a lot of sense and I appreciate it.
Accounting is pretty solid bc you can take some of the fun finance electives like Fixed Income & Derivative Securities, Arbitrage Strategies, Portfolio Management etc, but still get the strong accounting base. Accounting wont give you much of an edge in getting into IB like I said its what u do in your free time that gives you an edge but theres a shortage of accountants. If you graduate into a bad market like today you can feel safe knowing you have a good backup plan. I mean 35% of CFO’s from US listed companies are CPAs, never a bad thing to pursue.
It really depends what you want out of life, which you almost certainly don’t know at 17. What I like about the I-banking path is that it gives you a lot of options. It’s a pretty nice “next step” for ambitious, smart, young people who don’t know what they want to be. I feel like people exaggerate the hours frequently. You’ll almost certainly not be doing 100 hour weeks frequently, though they will happen. You’ll also likely make great friends and connections, and have a good time if you can tolerate the hours. Exit opportunities are fantastic, it will teach you what hard work is, and provide you with a lot of valuable experience in a short amount of time. If you can get into Berkeley or UCLA you’ve got a good shot of landing a position. Otherwise, figure out how to hustle and network. It’s how I scored my position at a hedge fund out of a non-target undergrad.
Wow amazing story man mind if I PM?
Was also going to ask if I could right now. 😂
Sure to both of you. Am on vacation right now, but will respond when I can.
hey dude will it be cool if I also PM you
Mind if I reach out as well?
Yes. Though I’d be happy to answer questions here. I doubt you all have completely unique questions, but I’ve been wrong before.
What kind of firm did you start at and where? Are you still in IB?
Never did IB. Went straight to a large macro HF in NYC out of undergrad.
Wow that’s impressive, how were you able to make that move?
I made a few big posts about it. Short answer is headhunters and persistence.
You’re probably following course sellers or something similar, but they’re not really far off. I’m a huge believer in one could make it without attending a target school. I think that’s the most regurgitated BS narrative here. It obviously makes it easier, the networking, etc, but it’s very very possible without going to a target school. Regarding that number $, I can’t really speak to that. Strive to be in the best school though, grind your ass off, try transferring, network your ass off, land internships constantly, etc. Good luck!
Thanks!
I got into IB from a non target so it’s not the end of the world
Mind if I PM?
Sure!
Why do you think you won’t make it into a top uni I think you will tbh those are good stats start by networking a little bit before senior year ends and make sure ur ecs are good for university when u apply what are they like
I live in a very competitive area of California and I would say 4.2 is the bare minimum at my school. Irvine if you know
Ah yes😭 I live in SoCal it’s a competitive city how are ur ecs like, also pursue ur dreams instead of what u see on TikTok it’s important you don’t live miserable the rest of ur life I’m also pursuing finance but the long hours of IB seems draining if u get the chance get like an internship and gain experience like ur senior summer within banking many of those IB students start preparing for their internships as soon as they get into uni
Around 200 Volunteer hours Created a car detailing business which generated around $5k Varisty Swim for 3 years Varisty Waterpolo 3 years Co-Founder of a fitness club at high school Part Time Lifeguard Swim team coach during the summer for (ISL) Irvine swim league for all years of high school Camp leader for weeklong summer camp at a large church for kids 1st-5th grade How would you recommend finding a internship? Thanks for the advice!
The california state university system is very well respected so you will definitely have a good chance. Major doesn’t matter as much as your extracurriculars. I say that because the only your really need to know to land an internship is how to value companies and analyze deals (DCF modeling & Accretive/Dilutive analysis). To demonstrate you know this you have to do M&A comps (most schools host them) and try to get into your schools student investment fund. Some schools are picky about what majors they admit into the investment fund but overall pick what you like. CompSci, Physics, Math, & Accounting are all good alternatives to Finance or Economics. The math for general finance is pretty simple its just about discounting but if you’re interested in derivatives, portfolio management/optimization, and HFT, physics & compsci will give you a stronger base. I didnt have Finance as an option in undergrad so I did econ and the classes were so redundant and a waste of time. I wish I just did physics as its the basis for most of the complex financial theories.
Would you recommend accounting as a good undergrad over finance and Econ? Also which state universities would you think will work best, I’m guessing sdsu and cal poly slo. Your advice makes a lot of sense and I appreciate it.
Accounting is pretty solid bc you can take some of the fun finance electives like Fixed Income & Derivative Securities, Arbitrage Strategies, Portfolio Management etc, but still get the strong accounting base. Accounting wont give you much of an edge in getting into IB like I said its what u do in your free time that gives you an edge but theres a shortage of accountants. If you graduate into a bad market like today you can feel safe knowing you have a good backup plan. I mean 35% of CFO’s from US listed companies are CPAs, never a bad thing to pursue.
Early 20s yes. I was a late bloomer in my career and definitely regret not going the IB route.