Pondering on Paths
Hey guys,
I’m sort of lost on my path into IB and eventual financial freedom. Any advice would help.
I’m an freshman economics major at a non-target in Texas. I have a F500 WM internship this summer and am shooting for a small boutique in Houston next summer. Lately, the mentors in my life have been constantly pushing me to go to NY for a junior SA role. They see my drive to learn and ability to standout amongst my peers. I want NY because of the invaluable knowledge I will gain (just like everyone else). Although, I have a great network in Houston. Energy does pique my interest, but I primarily want to do M&A. My university has a program with a large acceptance rate into banking, but it’s only open to finance majors. I have gone to the admin office over 10 times asking if there was anyway to get into the business school. Everytime, I get the same answer, “transfer is only eligible for current sophomores.” Now, I wonder how I will be able to achieve a role in NY without the backing of this program or the business school. My school has a very wide and well known alumni network, and is one reason why I chose it. Although, not one alumni at a BB or EB in NY has an econ degree from my university. Most, if not all, were in the business honors program with a BS in finance. I strive to be the first to accomplish this title, but maybe there’s a reason that no one has done it. Would you have any advice for someone with this background? Do I have the ability to standout amongst the Ivys? Should I shoot for Houston, where my school is known to place?
Thank you for the help.
Certain Houston banks do M&A. Jefferies, TPH, Evercore all are heavy hitters in the space, although yes, a lot of BBs crutch on their balance sheet to win business.
Should also note that Houston is a known sweatshop, and top banks in Houston have as good a work life balance as a Malaysian kid in a nike factory.
bump
dude if you were already able to get a F500 WM internship as a freshman I think you're going to succeed no matter what. just keep grinding and doing what you're doing and i can assure you'll be successful.
try your hardest to transfer into the business school and leverage the resources there, but if you can't/don't get in it's not the end of the world, economics sets you up very well career wise and you can definitely get into most finance roles with that degree.
best of luck in your future!
Plenty of kids break in from lesser known schools that don't even have a business school. Sounds like you are growing a network so try to keep those contacts warm for early 2024 recruiting for SA25. You have time if you keep this pace. I don’t think the business school will be a dealbreaker for recruiting. I was an economics major at a non-target and it turned out alright.
On location, you should pick based on cultural fit. I personally love working in finance in NYC, but I also grew up partially in Texas and understand the draw to work in Houston. Take networking seriously and see if you can get involved in an office visit. It's the best way to tell where you really want to be. I started my career in San Francisco and it's a night and day difference from other finance cities (honestly more of a techie city like Austin and Boston). Are you involved in the finance club?
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