Atlanta, Georgia Tech, Opportunities?
I'm new to this website, but I would like to introduce myself by asking about Engineering and what degree is best if I want to go into banking. I am attending Georgia Tech and I plan on majoring in Industrial Engineering with the Economic and Financial Systems track. Obviously, I plan on keeping my GPA up and involving myself on campus along with study abroad programs at Oxford and the National University of Singapore. I’m wondering if you guys agree or have any recommendations. I would say my dream/goal is to eventually work in the Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research division, but that may change.
Getting Into Investment Banking From A Tech School
People often start their banking careers in several different ways. The most traditional route is by getting a finance-specific degree, internship, MBA but many institutions value diverse backgrounds. It’s often a matter of finding creative ways to sell your experience.
Some steps you can take to assist in your success are:
- Keep your options open. Especially if you’re only starting your undergrad. A lot can change over the course of that degree and if you’re taking a non-traditional undergrad, like engineering, you may change your mind on finance altogether.
- Don't limit yourself to one firm and let the prestige blind you. There are a lot of opportunities, especially in boutique firms, that may be a better fit for an unconventional background.
- Start your networking early. If you’re planning to attend GaTech, keep in mind it isn’t very well known and is not considered a target school from a financial position. This doesn’t eliminate you as an option but it does mean you need to be more creative to get your foot in the door as you’re school won’t be headhunted at all or have job fairs in the financial industry the way target schools would.
- Get involved with the GTSF IC. It's the most legit investing/finance organization on campus. You will learn a lot and it will look good on a resume that you’re taking this career route seriously.
User @blind_banker a first-year associate shares his experience in a similar situation:
2012 GT grad here, that majored in Business Administration, with a finance concentration. I’m currently in MM Lending but transitioning to Corporate Banking in two weeks. Since you are not sold on banking you are not hurting yourself in any way by getting a degree from the best Industrial Engineering program in the nation. IE from Georgia Tech will open a ton of doors for you as long as you can keep your GPA over a 3.30. If you decide you do want banking you will likely not have a shot at NYC (I know a ton of kids who did Investment Banking from GT but only one who went on to NYC BB IB) but if you get that Economics concentration, join the Student Foundation Investment Club, land relevant/finance oriented summer internships and network well I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to get looks from STRH, Lazard, or any of the SE boutiques. I would also recommend joining a Socially Greek organization and take on leadership positions within the organization. The alumni contacts will increase your network.
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Your name sounds extremely familiar. I'm also from GA. Did you go to Harrison High? We seem to have familiar goals.
I didn't go to Harrison, but I am from Cobb County. Anyway, thoughts? Are you a freshman?
Ah ok, I'm from Cobb too. I'm a sophomore at Tokyo University. My goal is to get into the business somewhere in Southeast Asia. I figured knowing two strong business languages would make me a commodity over there and somewhat lessen the competition. I would definitely 100% take GT's study abroad programs though, It would look really good on you resume. Also, I know there are a lot of offices in ATL, but you have to consider the amount of internships that are available. Some say that the best chance of landing a job is before graduation, so you want to take advantage of as many internships as possible.
Thanks for the advice HFer. I passed on NYU Stern because of financial reasons and because GaTech opened way more doors i.e. solid engineering degrees these days let undergrads go into just about anything. This may be a stupid question, but is it considerably harder to get summer internships outside of Atlanta, or can I apply for internships in London and Hong Kong and expect a similar degree of selectivity?
I'm a GT student interning in NYC at a BB in PWM this summer. I also did the Oxford program, oddly enough. PM me and we can chat
Any other GaTech students with comments on their experience getting jobs and what their major was, they would be welcome.
I would've picked NYU over GT in a heartbeat.I have friends that go to GT and NYU. GT is going to rape your GPA. It has a reputation for being one of the biggest drinking schools, yet the social/party aspect of the school is almost non-existent. That means that everyone sits in their rooms alone and drinks away their sorrows. NYU is a higher ranked, target school which is actually easier. Just my two cents though, your life.
It was three times as much money, and I haven't entirely committed to banking. I have two younger brothers who also need to go to college, and by going to NYU I would have stolen all of the money my dad saved for college. I am also very confident in my ability to succeed at GaTech. An engineering degree here lets me work in pretty much any industry. I'm surprised you aren't more impressed by GaTech, honestly. Stern helps you get IBanking internships pretty early on, but it seems more than possible to achieve the same at GaTech. Quantitative critical thinkers who are willing to work hard are valued by every employer in every industry. I ended up picking GaTech in a heartbeat.
2012 GT grad here that majored in business administration with a finance concentration and am currently in MM Lending but transitioning to Corporate Banking in two weeks. Since you are not sold on banking you are not hurting yourself in anyway by getting a degree from the best Industrial Engineering program in the nation. IE from Georgia Tech will open a ton of doors for you as long as you can keep your GPA over a 3.30. If you decide you do want banking you will likely not have a shot at NYC (I know a ton of kids who did IB from GT but only one who went on to NYC BB IB) but if you get that Econ concentration, join the Student Foundation Investment Club, land relevant/finance oriented summer internships and network well I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to get looks from STRH, Lazard MM, or any of the SE boutiques. I would also recommend joining a socially greek organization and take on leadership positions within the organization. The alumni contacts will only increase your network and you will find that many engineering students at GT are brilliant but have trouble landing jobs b/c they are socially awkward. Going greek will force you into social situations that originally make you uncomfortable but will help you out in the long run, just my two cents. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or concerns, good luck.
The GPA number you quoted, 3.3, is convenient because that is also what I need to keep to get my tuition for free. Anyway, I really appreciate the response; a lot of the suggestions you outlined were already in consideration, so it is great to have a second opinion agree. Did graduating from the Scheller College instead of from one of the engineering colleges make the process any more difficult? No disrespect, I just heard from some of the professors I interned with that the Scheller College has only recently taken some priority over the massive programs like mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. Thanks again.
Personally, I did not find that graduating from Scheller kept me up at night when looking for a job and if it sounded like you only wanted banking I would tell you to seriously consider Scheller compared to IE. I do think Scheller is gaining some priority because alumni are feeding the business school large amounts of $ and it is becoming a legitimate business school in the southeast. Scheller is certainly a tier below UVA,Emory, UNC and Duke, but students at GT are finding they dont have to kill themselves in any of the rigorous GT Engineering programs just to graduate with a job. I think if you are not sold on any specific engineering program and you are not sold on banking/finance, you will end up well rounded and get a lot of looks from every industry graduating with a solid GPA from IE with an econ concentration.
I'm also a Tech student, but I'm in Scheller. I do agree that they have been getting a lot of alumni money and I think that should only help us out by the time we graduate. I understand your decision to choose tech. I have two brothers and going out of state to a "target" school would've drained my parents' college savings as well.
Something I find interesting is how well GaTech places its IE grads in consulting positions; some ridiculous number of the students end up going into consulting or working for IBM or GE. It seems as though Investment Banks would recruit similar students as those companies, but the placement in banking is considerably weaker. That being said, JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank both recruit on campus, so maybe GaTech is transitioning into a semi-target/target school. Just food for thought.
Scheller/GaTech alumnus as well, PM me if you need anything.
Any other Tech grads or bankers in Atlanta with advice on what companies in the area offer the best experience for a freshman? I know the Federal Reserve of Atlanta hires freshman, but beyond that I haven't found any finance-related opportunities for freshman.
@"RugbyMate" I would look into a PWM internship, there are tons of offices in Atlanta. Also check if Big4 has any programs for freshmen summer (I know they have programs for sophomores but not sure about frosh). Also try to network with finance alumni from Home Depot, UPS, Coke, etc.
Great ideas. I've looked into some PWM offices and there's a few BB regional offices that do PWM so that would be ideal. I've met a few Coke guys and two guys in my fraternity work for Manhattan Associates so I'll look to connect with those guys.
You seem to be a likable guy RugbyMate so I want to share my two cents as well:
First of all, think of what your end goal is. If you get can get into a top consulting firm like McK, Bain, or BCG then I would do that in a heartbeat. It's not about the money at this point, it's about building your resume and experiences. Do the Greek thing as others suggested, practice like crazy and get those jobs. I'm not sure what year you are but follow this path and, if you can, also get the Fed Reserve Bank of Atlanta on your resume.
Do consulting for 2yrs or so and you may then be able to transition into actual i-banking at a decent firm in NYC. Or, if you know you want to do banking long term then you can just stick it out a little more in consulting and then apply to b-school and transition from there.
If you end up with GT -> MCK -> I-Banking -> Wharton/Kellogg then you can even try for PE if that's what your end goal or probably just get Goldman Sachs, Evercore, etc.
It's a longer-term path but it'll set you up well. You still have the solid engineering background, McKinsey will open up even more paths, you'll have i-banking on your resume, and then after an M7 school with your background you can pretty much do anything.
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