Is finance good for me? I'm having a existential crisis...

Hello everyone. I am a rising college freshman who will be attending Dartmouth next year, with intentions of pursuing a double major in economics and computer science. After college, I hope to do something in the field of finance--software development, consulting, etc. I've always loved economics and critical thinking and doing economics at Dartmouth has always been a dream of mine. However, now I'm a little hesitant. I am a girl and I've never been the extremely aggressive type. I have friends and I can hold my own, but I've always been more of the "endearingly awkward/cute" type than a confident, aggressive person. My hope is that I can train myself to become more assertive. I'm very aware of my problems and I've been working to improve my social adeptness. Do you think I could make it in the finance world? My goal is to ultimately have some sort of leadership position. Is social finesse something that can be trained? Thank you everyone!

 

You're still very young. College will give you lots of opportunities to explore different sides of your personality and help you decide or confirm your career asperations. Join the finance society, take finance classes, if you really enjoy the academic side and find yourself contributing in class and society meetings then you'll become more sure that finance is right for you. I would NOT stress about this stuff right now. Just go with the flow, study hard, have fun at Uni and you'll find that these questions will start to answer themselves.

Best of luck!

-Matt
 

yeah, college changes you sometimes. In high school, I was never the super type A person. I wasn't timid or anything, just I wouldn't describe myself as super confident. After having some college experiences, it really helped me develop, push myself, and the attitude and confidence came along with it.

Just let yourself develop, don't try and change who you are. The industry is filled with these type As, so it's nice to meet someone chiller and more relaxed every once and a while.

 

yeah definitely not everyone in this industry needs to be 'aggressive'. if your goal is banking or S&T there's probably a higher frequency of those types there, but there's lots of other corners of finance where I think you'll find most people are pretty laid back. just stay away from surgical medicine or litigation and you'll be fine...

 

IDK. But you are on a VERY good path. CS is an excellent degree and the econ is good for finance and you are at an amazing school.

As far as being assertive goes, that just comes with the territory of being successful in anything. Put yourself out there in college and it should come naturally.

Very jealous, I wish I had it figured out at your age.

 
Best Response

I agree with all of the above. There are some aggressive dicks in finance but that's more of a stereotype and caricature perpetrated by the movies and tv than reality (although I've met a few who actually are both the stereotype and caricature). And you're only 18. In one year you'll be a very different person and in four most likely an entirely different person. Just push yourself out of your comfort zone through classes with public speaking (that was a huge weakness of mine in high school so I just did as much of it as possible and made an ass of myself the first few times but by the time I graduated was pretty good) or if it's being a bit of a wallflower, just put yourself out there (you're also going to discover the social lubricant in college). But you're setting yourself up well with the CS degree. Unless something changes drastically that's a highly marketable degree.

 

Confidence =/= aggression. This is an important lesson to learn. Confidence is the important part. Leave the aggression at home. The people that I know who are really, really successful are always the ones who are humble but very confident and assertive. Being likeable while not being a pushover is the best path to getting what you want from life.

 
  1. try new experiences you have an interest in but might be uncomfortable (leadership in an org, joining a sorority/student govt, public speaking, mentor a high school kid, athletics, etc.)
  2. as you do something that's uncomfortable over and over again, you will get better at it. this will give you confidence. people will tell you what a good job you're doing and this will make you feel good.
  3. continue to put yourself out there and get out of your comfort zone every once in a while, your social skills will improve over time
  4. exercise and take care of yourself (body & mind). if you don't have a positive self image of yourself, you will never be able to sell very well and will lack confidence forever

all of that said, if you have good social skills and graduate from Dartmouth, you won't have any issues.

 

You'll be completely fine, It's natural to feel a little apprehensive about the future, especially as a Freshman. The good news is that 1. Dartmouth is a great school and a target for all types of great banks and tech firms 2. Compsci/Econ is probably one of the best double majors you can have for anything business/tech related 3. Not to be sexist but girls are rare and thus valuable at top tech firms( and probably banks as well) I recently read something that said that companies like google/linkedin are 70% men and are looking to recruit more women. Do well in you classes and you'll have some great opportunities ahead.

I would encourage you to get involved on campus and try to meet people and gain confidence that way. Networking doesn't come natural to many people, but it can absolutely be a learned skill. You just need to push yourself a little bit. Looking for internships starting this upcoming summer will also be useful as work experience can really open your eyes to the professional world. You will be completely fine and enjoy the next 4 years, it goes by fast.

 

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