3 months into the job and I still have no clue what I'm doing

Currently at a BB  - all I've been doing is building out decks / CIMs and siphoning through data for hours on end. Haven't really modeled anything yet. I've definitely seen improvement in PPT / Excel, but still don't know how to use any valuations other than comps.

How can I teach myself the technical skills / modeling / DCF analysis / LBOs Is Wall Street Prep worth the time?

7 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I'm going through the same shit except I'm so apathetic that I'll still make an error or two on an internal memo every once in a while lol. It's actually kind of pathetic.

Anyway besides that shit I've actually managed to learn a good bit about modeling and the greater industry by just reading and listening to podcasts or YouTube videos.

Get Rosenbaum and Peal and read that. It's an easy read and explains all of the valuation methodologies as if a 5 year old was reading it. Its really not dense at all. Eventually I'll get to actually practicing some modeling via TTS or wall street prep but for now this has sufficed because I can't bring myself to do more.

If you want to just engage more with the industry in general so you can actually kind of feel like you know wtf is going on (usually I don't, I just dont what I'm told lol) then read novels, and biographies and listen to interviews of successful bankers and investors. I reccomend Barbarians at the Gate as a starting point since its discuss of all of the major buyout players is interesting.

 

Yeah. I think one day it will kind of just click. I'm definitely feeling better than I did back in the summer when I started.

One other thing that I can reccomend is building up your mojo? You know what I mean? Like get a little style and just chill the fuck out. All of the VPs and senior associates in my group are all pretty damn cool but not douchy at all. They all have good style, they take PTO and go to cool places and they actually go out for lunch or random drinks throughout the workweek. I've been trying to lean into this myself. Now its kind of hard because a lot of the other analysts in my class are nice people but definitely lack an edge so I kind of have to go at this solo. But I did buy a nicer coat and a briefcase to carry my laptop to the office and really try to be a good mood while at work and I feel like investing in my self in these ways will eventually transpire into me doing better work, becoming more entrenched in the group, and eventually figuring this shit out.

 

Had a friend who was in the same boat for the first few months and then it just kinda changed and he seemed to enjoy work more because he was learning more of the modeling. Said during the time that he was sitting at this desk waiting for comments to come in, he’d go over to an associate friend of his who was working on a model and just shadow him. Now this would obviously depend on you having a chill enough associate who doesn’t mind you hanging around them and talking with them while they’re working, but he said he felt so much more prepared when he started modeling. I’m starting FT next summer and plan on doing the same while waiting for the “pls fix. Thx.” to come in.

 

Velit sit eum quo laborum. Quaerat odio non vero id repudiandae. Fugit exercitationem autem voluptas. Placeat sed aliquid fuga aut.

Deserunt non iure praesentium ipsa. Libero quia voluptatem quasi dolores aut quia sapiente. Tenetur temporibus ad veniam quia autem minus. Ratione maxime qui minima necessitatibus necessitatibus. Libero consequatur quas alias quisquam quis cupiditate. Debitis iste tempora qui atque.

Libero iure doloribus nemo blanditiis. Quam hic quam odit reiciendis sit ea. Ut et illum dolor modi perferendis earum. Quasi blanditiis ratione et omnis enim laborum qui id. Voluptates nam porro rerum nesciunt quia. Expedita numquam quia et sint.

Recusandae magnam officiis iusto provident ut illum nostrum. Ab qui laudantium nam quo excepturi rerum repudiandae. Animi tempore necessitatibus et quo corporis et. Voluptatem sit ut aspernatur ipsam voluptates. Modi voluptates modi voluptatibus velit ea veniam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”