Mature Student going into IBD
Hey all,
I wondered if anyone had any experience getting into IBD as a mature student? I am planning on going into Queen's, but sadly will have to wait until 2012 when I'm 25 to apply. I don't know if getting into the industry as a mature student would be a benefit or a disadvantage. I read on TSR forums it was more a benefit than anything, but that is in the UK, not here so not sure if its any different.
Starting school at 25 means I will be 29-30 by the time I actually finish school and get into the industry.
Any thoughts?
My girl's mom got hired by Transaction Services at a Big 4 at 27ish. It can be done.
I am a 26 year-old junior after serving in the Marine Corps for four years. I have actually been asked during interviews why they shouldn't worry about me being older than all of my fellow analysts and being the same age as most associates, so it is definitely something they are concerned with. That being said, I have been able to overcome it in every interview fairly easily. Good luck and keep us posted.
How do you respond when asked?
As others have said, in the military you often find yourself in charge of others much older than you. I was in that situation and those men showed me the same amount of respect as they would have if I had been their age or older. I appreciated that at the time, and I also know how difficult it would have been if they had constantly questioned me because of their age. Having that perspective makes it much easier for me to follow directions from someone who is younger than me, especially in an industry where experience is your only opportunity to learn more and become proficient. Plus, the military rank structure instills values in you that make it seem normal to listen to your superiors, no matter what age they are.
That seems to put their worries at ease.
I had the same questions coming out of school because I spent 4 years in the Army. Personally I think they are silly questions...especially considering I was in charge of people nearly twice my age, in some cases, when I was 20. Pretty much shows a lack of comprehension on the part of the interviewer, which certainly implies that it should be something to be concerned about, though it's nothing that can't be overcome.
Regards
You can't see why an MD or VP would hold that against you? They don't want thinkers or leaders (despite what they say). They want robots that will blindly follow orders.
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Dog missed the conversation by 12 Years 💀
sexually mature by that age? i would hope so
I think it would be very unlikely that you would be able to enter an Analyst position at 29-30. Firms would prefer you to be an Associate at that age just because they feel like you are past the point of being an Analyst in their mind. You can be perceived as having other priorities (not being able to prioritize work fully because of family/other commitments), or you may less likely to do what senior bankers tell you to do without questioning the validity of the requests. Essentially, your best shot would be to have a solid story for why you attended university so late, or to try and enter after business school.
In that link he says:
"Guidelines In the FAQ I gave 30 as the upper limit for Analyst-level hires and 40 as the limit for Associate-level hires. Those were both under the assumption that you graduate around age 22-25. And those guidelines are mostly correct, but it’s not because of your age itself – it’s because of how much experience you’ll have by then."
The way I read that entire article is as if someone goes to school, gets their BBA or whatever else, then takes 5 years off for something and attempts to get back into finance...which isnt the case for me obviously.
I dont have as great of an excuse like the military, but I did a whole lot of travelling once I left high school thus the delay in getting into the industry. Also, at 18, I had no clue about my strengths/weaknesses so I didnt know what profession to get into.
In the UK I have seen a 28 year old Summer Analyst.
What an accurate description of myself this summer
Age is just a number
Not like you can change your age man...just go for it.
I am a master student at Columbia right now. It's hard for a master student to break into IBD than an undergrad. Most summer analyst programs do not recruit masters. However, that does not mean you can't. It's just much harder if you are not in a typical path or candidates pool.
nice thread. I have a parallel question: Since it's not really your age but rather your experience that is a determinant, then what's to say for someone who has had large gaps of non-employment after college graduation. let's say more than one gap of 4 thru 7 months? Is there a common stereotype about this?
I would say that gaps of non-employment are frowned upon, in general. Of course some of the concerns can easily be dismissed by explaining what you were doing during that time...assuming they were noteworthy things. Not looking for a job so you can become a Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 champ isn't going to cut it. If you spent that time traveling, volunteering, interning, etc. then it is far more likely to be accepted as a excusable reason for being unemployed. Additionally, given the rough economy, you could potentially dismiss it as the "wrong place, wrong time" scenario but that could still look as though you weren't as good as other people...because people were still being hired, just far fewer and conceivably just the 'most' qualified.
Regards
Well I'm gonna give it a shot and see how far I can get. I know this is where I want to be and until absolutely everyone tells me no in the industry, I'm going to give it everything I've got. I also get the feeling, anything less than 110% effort is just a waste of time anyways...
As R. Kelly would say: "Age ain't nothin but a number."
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