Hi, I have cancer
I figured that the title would be luring to many of you. I'm 18 years old and was recently diagnosed with a form of cancer. It's treatable by taking a pill a day everyday for the rest of my life and has a 5 year survival rate of 90%. Will this stop me from ever working on Wall St or entering IB, PE, or anything really? As in with regards to medical exams, etc.
Just something I really have to know. Thank you.
Unless the pill would make you fail a drug test, then no. You're not getting drafted by the Giants. You only have to piss in a cup for a drug test.
Just don't tell anyone. Seriously. Ever. Could impact promotions etc if people think you're not healthy. I wouldn't trust anyone. Unless you want to tell a hot chick you work with for pity sex. That's ok.
No, this will not stop you. One of my best friends from college had a similar type of cancer and survived. Since then (8 years later), he has had a very successful career. He's held impressive positions at multiple companies where hard work and long hours are required. Best of luck to you!
Reminds me of Stuart Scott. Dude's battling cancer for the second or third time, and you'd have no idea if it hadn't been publicly announced. Same with the Dexter guy...had cancer filming last season and didn't tell a soul until the season was over so it wouldn't influence people's perceptions of him
Don't ask, don't tell. At least in the interview process. And they can't ask you about anything more than 'do you have any health-related issue that would impair your ability to do the job?'
Maybe I should clarify something. Don't give that out in an interview. But if you do get a job you like, and health issues might interfere, it might make sense that the HR/benefits knows that. EEOC laws work in your favor, but there are careful steps to take and if the company has no documentation, then it can dismiss you if you start missing a lot of work. Talk to a professional that knows, like a labor lawyer. But, in the interview process, don't tell them squat about it in the interview process.
And it is great that you are not going to let cancer stop you from making a dream come true... Good luck to you.
^^ and answer 'no' to that question.
Even more of a reason for you to pimp and go hard...
Don't think of it as a crutch/weakness. Be fucking fearless. Keep kicking ass, man.
Thanks, guys. I was worried about this, but I'm glad to hear it won't shoot down my dream.
If you let it
what conceivable is one of the worst things to happen to anyone has happened to you, IB and Banking in general would seem like a piece of cake.
I say go for it, nothing ventured, nothing gained.. I will be rooting for you. And please keep us updated!
Deleted
This is such a heart-breaking news. Hoping for a speedy recovery.
Saw you commented on this recently I am in the same boat as this guy is there any advice you could maybe give? I am going into my junior year I have been networking my ass off been working hard and have had some superdays. However, nothing has come from it and I am working wealth management this summer.
No there is no reason why that should stop you from working on wallstreet as long as the medication is not too physically debilitating
Definitely won't be a problem, best of luck with breaking into IB!
Saw you commented on this recently I am in the same boat as this guy got diagnosed with cancer a week ago. Is there any advice you could maybe give? I am going into my junior year I have been networking my ass off been working hard and have had some superdays for summer of 2024. However, nothing has come from it and I am working wealth management this summer, will maybe have to quit once I start treatment my strain is unfortunately quite rare with 100 cases a year in the world it wont kill me but is a pain the ass to treat.
I am in the same boat as you now, I was wondering how it worked out. I have been trying to find an internship for next summer and have been working my ass off. Has not been going to well for me honestly. My gpa went to shit from a 4.0 to a 3.6 any advice you may have would be helpful even though this is old.
If you are a current freshman don’t fret as you still have time to get a network in place to get your junior year gig. For your sophomore year gig I would put focus on boutiques investment banks, LMM PE firms, and small hedge funds. Corp dev roles or finance roles at corporations will also work. Cold email, reach out to alumni do anything in your power to succeed. Try to email anywhere from 50-100 folks a week. From my experience this is more of a numbers game than anything. You don’t have to personalize every single email a shit ton but adding some pointers on their background and commonalities will help a ton. Make your emails straight to the point. It should be readable in a maximum of 90 secs. Send emails between 10 AM - 1 PM Tue/Wed/Thurs.
If you are a current sophomore and have nothing lined up for the coming summer, getting your junior year gig will be a lot tougher. However, I believe there are BB’s and MM’s that recruit during summer time. Some international balance sheet banks also recruit in the fall (think SocGen, Nomura, etc). Continue to network, leverage whatever you can. If you have no job this summer get one doesn’t matter what it is. Just do something related to finance, accounting, ops. Work at a start up if need be or anything else if you’re really down on luck.
If you dedicate yourself to this and have a regiment where you’re just grinding I’m sure you will find success. The worst thing you can do is not start. There is no tomorrow do what you can today. Best of luck and hoping you remain in good health and spirits.
Oh and get that GPA up. School is still important. Try to get leadership roles in any finance clubs at your school. Study your technicals too, make sure you know your shit especially if you’re at a non-target.
Go through the 400 question IB guide, learn to make comps, 3 statement model, and dcf. Be able to pitch a company, maybe put together a deck in PowerPoint. I’d recommend getting the Wall Street Prep courses if you can afford to (you can also get them through cheaper means via Reddit do some digging!).
Hello, I appreciate your advice I have not stopped grinding and do not use excuses. I am a rising junior as well,I am currently interning at a Big 5 bank as a wealth management intern and am still taking classes. I have experience at a PE firm, and as a junior analyst for 2 summers at a boutique investment/asset management firm, I have been networking and grinding my ass off. I have been emailing around 100 people a week not getting much out I have been using ai to generate the emails and then editing them to match the person's resume. I make my emails short and straight to the point. I have had a bunch of coffee chats but not much has come from them. The advice they have provided has been invaluable however I dont want to tell anyone about my illness because of how fresh it truly is and the fact that it could be so much worse so I dont see it as being severe enough. The timing you have provided for sending emails is very helpful, I have been networking my ass off and am currently looking for a mentor. This chapter is another part of my life that I will get through but will take effort. I think it is honestly going to be a great learning experience I am just unsure how to navigate the recruiting cycle with it.
I really appreciate your advice and if it is ok with you I was wondering if I could possibly dm you a couple of questions that I do not really want to post publicly.
Thank you!
Definitely won't stop you, if they ask tell them. Also hope you're all good and good luck getting into IB.
Laboriosam doloribus maxime excepturi eos atque magnam. Tempora a iure inventore eum. Et ut explicabo adipisci ab mollitia eos facilis.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Minima distinctio nulla non cumque nesciunt. Aspernatur et quam tempore. Reprehenderit odio aut quisquam impedit blanditiis numquam cum unde. Voluptas distinctio voluptas eum. Distinctio iure voluptas culpa et in a dignissimos. Quae ut perferendis qui qui.
Voluptatem vel enim ad quasi consequatur et. Provident assumenda non fuga. Dolorem eum ad ut voluptatibus quis nostrum. Sit in et eaque voluptas ut eveniet totam officiis. Suscipit molestiae modi fuga quo. Ad qui nam quam facilis facilis error.
Repellat reiciendis totam accusamus nobis ducimus ipsum. Et quae vero debitis in. Et omnis nobis magni a.
Sit quibusdam hic enim illum velit amet. Quis aperiam delectus qui quo. Omnis aut asperiores reprehenderit excepturi quod voluptatem. Consequatur aliquam doloribus id ad ratione.