I'm starting to get a lot of emails from random people, saying that they're trying to break into the bank where I work.
Some lay out steps they've taken so far.
Some even ask me for help, breaking in.

Bottom line, should I be concerned?
Security is taken very seriously at my firm.
A few years ago, I believe we actually had someone who managed to make it inside and stole some client information.
Also, our email is monitored.

Is it possible to be implicated in a crime, even if I simply ignored the email? Do I have an obligation to report them?

People always overstate the difficulty of getting into banking from a non-target school. You don't need to transfer to a better school; you can break in. It is called NETWORKING. I will now proceed to teach the two steps for breaking in from a non-target:

I'm a noob and long time lurker. I've read other's posts about breaking into IB/PE but can't ever find anyone with a situation close enough to mine to gauge it well enough.

One of my undergrad degrees was finance, and I recently finished my MBA with a finance emphasis. GPA was OK in both (3.5, working full time during both). Undergrad was a non-target but good state school, and MBA was a target school in the country it's in, but not in the US.

Hi all,

I am a 25 year old, who graduated 2.5 years ago from a lower ranked ivy (Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown) with a 4.0 and a BS in biology. I spent an additional two years after graduation working in the laboratory as a research fellow for a government entity. After my fellowship ended, I couldn't find anything in either the private or public sector and worked for my parents' business where I am now. I don't want to go back to research, but rather take on a consulting position.

Hey guys,

Long time lurker, first time poster. To start off, I really appreciate how active everyone is on this site; the wealth of information posted here has really helped me a lot in my search for employment in the banking industry.

I have been lurking on this forum for quite a while and enjoy reading the threads. It has provided me with some basic insight on what I should try to do to get into the industry and what the industry entails in terms of lifestyle/opportunities/etc.

What can I do as an undergrad to break into a hedge fund upon graduation instead of taking the investment banking route first?

Where can I learn about what it takes to break into prop trading? I've already read the interview on M&I but it really wasn't all that informative. It seems like prop firms don't really do a lot of on campus recruiting, so is it more about networking than anything else?

I am about to start college at NYU CAS next year, econ/comp sci double major.

Any and all advice appreciated.

Basically I've just made up my mind that I want to break into the Real Estate business upon graduating undergrad, and hopefully moving into Real Estate PE down the line. The issue is I'm a rising senior and don't have any experience directly related to RE.

Stats:
-Rising senior at non-target school in Boston (BU/Northeastern)
-Dual concentration in Finance & Accounting. 3.5 GPA
-Leadership positions in finance clubs etc.

Internships:
Trade Support at big AM firm in Boston
Interest Rate Derivative Sales-trading at a MM in NYC
Financial Leadership Development Program at a F10 (Current internship, not done until July 13)

OK. I've applied twice to Institutional Equity Sales positions in Atlanta. I have the licenses that are needed to do the job with the exception of the Series 7. I have the relevant experience. I've done all the traditional stuff that everyone should do:

1) e-mailed the recruiter
2) professional resume
3) obtained Series 63 (all I need is Series 7, which requires their sponsorship)
4) networked on LinkedIn
5) contacted alumni
6) checked status daily online in terms of where I am in the process/followed-up with the recruiter

What will it take to break into Equity Sales there?

**Hey everyone, appreciate any help and/or information. Tough job market and lack of connections make for one hell of a reality check.

Who I am:
1) Frustrated college graduate (Aug/2011)
2) Working to break into finance with hopes to eventually work in international finance and/or development economics
3) West Coast Resident (Bay Area)
4) Dual Degree: BBA-Business Administration (summa cum laude); BA-International Relations (summa cum laude)
5) Recent Work as: Analyst-Mortgage Brokerage (2mths), Associate-Licensed World Trade Center (7mths), Admin. Assistant, Residential Assistant, Numerous student orgs (between 1-3 yrs.)

Most of the advice on this site is focused on breaking into banking. There is an underlying assumption that the advice is meant for people interested in banking. Trading, however, is a totally different career. In this thread, can we point out which pieces of advice meant for bankers are also applicable to trading, what is less important, and what is not important at all? Can we get a comprehensive list in this thread? Then wannabe traders wouldn't get confused by all the advice on this site meant for bankers.
For example, when someone says, "X is a target school," they actually mean that X is a target school for banking. The school might be shit for traders. It can be misleading.

Just a general question here.

I went straight from undergrad to grad school, knowing that I wanted to get into ER and get my CFA. The grad program I chose was a CFA Partner school, but a non-target. Honestly, that's fine by me -- I didn't want to wait for a while before going to get my MBA. I don't have aspirations to be in IB or working in PE. I want to be in Asset Management

WARNING - LONG POST

I am a 2009 grad from an extreme non-target who just got accepted into MIT's MFin program. This seems like a dream-come-true, and it is, and I really want to go, and probably will. My concern is that financially, it doesn't necessarily seem to make sense, so I am hoping WSO can provide some external opinions.

Background - Bad undergrad school, 3.8 GPA in finance/math, 780 GMAT, solid FT internship experience in BO, decent ECs, currently working in corp strat at F100 financial sector company in Boston (a year in right now).

I feel like i hit a brick wall running at 200 miles another.

I've been trying my very damnest since august of 2010 to get a job with an investment bank. Starting my search in august obviously didn't help my case but over these past 6 months i've literally made a name for myself in every boutique in my city. In total i've probably had about 2 official interviews and about 3 other informationals up until this point. One of which was for what i'd like to call a mini salman brothers of my city this week except i havn;t heard back from my follow up e-mails so i think its safe to say they've gone to the next one, kind of a big blow to the ego.

I'm currently a student at a top BB target school in New England but I'm trying to avoid NYC at all costs for IB (strongly considering trading in NYC/Chicago, however). But, I'm having some difficulty connecting with offices in the South because my school isn't a traditional target for any office other than NYC.

Anyone have similar experiences or otherwise able to offer advice about the recruiting process? Do I have any chance at interviewing for NYC and requesting to be placed elsewhere?

I'm primarily looking at Charlotte but I'd consider Houston and potentially Atlanta/Miami if the opportunity presented itself.

I would appreciate some advices from fellow primates. Now is still not the best time for career-switcher going for IB.

I have a non-finance (science) degree and only one year of non-finance work experience. I have two options:

1) I am about to start unpaid boutique IB/PE internships --> continue on this path and go for 2-3 years as boutique/MM IB analyst --> then do top 5 MBA.

2) Just apply for top 5 MBA now and hit the re-set button, going in with zero pre-MBA finance experience.

My stats: Top 10 UG, UGPA 3.5, GMAT 750+,
Thanks.

Someone really close to me will be graduating this spring/summer with a math degree from a top 50 state school. He is very smart, obviously quantitative, but for X reasons did not do well in school and will graduate with a 2.5-2.8 GPA.

I think an operations job would be a great option for him: low level of stress with a decent salary.

How competitive is breaking into ops? Can it be done given his GPA at a top 50 university?

Can people take the same approach to getting into OPS that they can for front office jobs? For example, will reaching out to alums and asking for information interviews dramatically increase one's chances?

Thanks

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So i was wondering to all of the current wall street workers here...and those trying to get there...how was your college experience? What did your grades look like? Were you the life of the party or the life of the library? Do you regret anything you should have done, but never did?

Also in terms of investment banking, i know brand name is important; but is it worth going to a school you may not learn anything from, but has a good brand name and could probably get you on the street? or is actually knowing things more important (though im sure they do have large training programs).

.

So i basically have an "exploding offer" with a boutique that expires in like 2 weeks....and i have read countless articles on here and other sites on PWM, financial advising, etc...I mean ive spoken to people there and they say they love it....good money....own clients, that type of thing...i mean most are making 200k plus, with the owners counseling athletes and pulling down a few million...but i dont know..everybody on the street tends to say that Financial Advising is a joke..PWM is a highly paid joke compared to IB, PE, HF, etc...i mean idk...so can everyone...and i mean everyone...please tell me why its so looked down on....?????

Hey guys,

Senior in high school here. I rcently got accepted to a non-target school and realize i have no shot at FO comin out of there. So I was wonderin: should I go into the military for six years n then try my luck at breaking into IBD? If I was to earn something like a purple heart or bronze star, would that show enough committment and daring to get into a BB bank?

You all probly think I'm real stupid cuz I didn't get into a target school, but really i'm very smart (1300 SAT, 3.6 GPA).

Thanks for help.

I'm a senior, graduating in 2011. Have a good gpa and am currently interning at a bank wealth management shop.

I am 2nd year MBA looking to expand my networking reach to include military personnel. I currently work for the military as I attend B School part-time. Ironically, my schedule allows me to take classes with the day students, but I am not allowed to search for an internship through the school recruiting process.

I completely understand this and have no issues with it! So I am trying to network with former military personnel on the street and was wondering if anybody knew of a site or database through which I could look them up?? I have tried searching through my employer and have not made much progress.

Any help on this would be appreciated.