Knowing What You Really Want

Hey all,

As I've mentioned on here before, I'm going to be a senior in the fall, and I currently work in the BO of a BB. I go to a non-target (no OCR, but we do have lots of street alum). Anyway, I've been able to land several informational interviews, both through my school's alumni network and by contacts that I have made in the FO at my bank.

Coming from a school with no OCR is tough. I would be willing to work in banking, capital markets, trading or research. The fact is, I have no idea exactly what I want to do, and its tough to be fussy, since the fact is, I'd be grateful to have a job in any of those areas.

I met with a guy recently who worked in the FO of my bank and he told me that I should try and focus on a particular area, instead of bouncing all over the place with what I want to do. He told me a lot of other kids know exactly what they want to do after school, and that if I knew this, and conveyed it to people that I met with, they might be more willing to help me since I know exactly what I want.

I love following financial markets, and think that a markets oriented career would be interesting. At the same time, I think banking would be a great learning experience and a fantastic opportunity, though it might not be realistic for me to break in. What I want to know is this... how did you guys know exactly what you wanted to do (if you did), or if not, how did you at least convey to people that you had a clue?