Banking versus Trading - Option to do an internship in either

Hi I have an option to do an intern in either the trading or banking division. I have a strong interest in both areas, it's not really a matter of knowing what area I prefer. Is there anything else I should consider, or any benefits or disadv. in either division? Cheers

12 Comments
 

okay how about if I put it in this way. If I really enjoy trading AND banking, how should I choose which division to go into, or what factors might influence me to make my decisison.

 

Well I’m not in there yet but know a lot of people that have done the internships. To be completely honest with you as an intern you will be only be shit on. So wherever you go is going to be the same, you have to pay your dues (be everybody’s bitch) and than decide if you want to stay in this line of work.
Don’t give it too much thought, it is just an IS.

 
Devils AdvocateUgh trading internships blow...sitting around asking questions to irritated salesmen and traders for 8-10 weeks pretending to give a damn about your "personal development" f*cking blows.

i'm impressed they even pretended.

figure out which you are more interested in trying and go with that one. the two things are quite different. but you already knew that....

 
Best Response

Yeah, banking you're more likey to actually get your hands dirty on something live, since in trading you legally can't touch jack. Lifestyle's somewhat better in trading, though honestly it seems like those guys end up looking like just as much pasty, dishevelled and poorly-rested shit as the bankers do - it's just that they go out drinking hard at 8 or 9 pm while the bankers are working all night. In terms of career progression, if you're looking to leapfrog an internship into a FT position, you're looking at fewer exit opps and fewer marketable skills, unless you really like hedge funds.

But yeah, do whatever you want. At some point, in the case of banking around 3 am on Thursday of an already-hundred-hour-week, you're going to hate your job. Pick whichever you're going to be happiest hating to death for at least those few hours.

 

How would you have hit 100 hours by Thursday 3 AM? Let's say you're starting the week with Sunday and working 24 hours a day each day. By Thursday 3AM, you've worked 24 hours Sunday, 24 Monday, 24 Tuesday, and 24 Wednesday for a grand total of 96. Three hours into Thursday (3 AM) you're at 99 hours. The key assumptions (24 hour work days everyday, work all Sunday) are really very unreasonable If you're going to exaggerate, at least be realistic, geez. (On a sidenote, while I'm still in school, I hear from actual bankers I know that they usually hit 80 hours or maybe a bit more...the occassional 90 or 100 hour week is really not common and usually only occurs when the shit hits the fan or your MD takes on way more than the group can actually handle.)

 

That actually makes me reconsider what I said because you're one of the few people on here who doesn't seem to be spewing meaningless crap all of the time. Maybe it's a matter of bank/group? Or maybe my friends are misleading me because they get some sick satisfaction out of knowing I could potentially be participating in the same hellish work weeks they're going through...

 

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