Best Strategy for a 30yo breaking into IB with 2 years FTE and target masters

Hi all,

I'm 30 with 2 years FTE at back office finance in f500 companies. Completing a masters at a top 3 European business school (think INSEAD/LBS/HEC).

What should my strategy be in breaking into IB as an analyst? Does anyone know someone in a similar age profile who broke into IB as an analyst in EB/BB?

I do have good technicals and confident with my interview performances. But I'm wondering if I'm misplacing myself and if I'm better off targeting strategy-finance roles instead given my age profile. I don't mind working against the odds, but I'm also a pragmatist. 

What's the consensus?

FYI I'm American in Europe. I can work in the UK or the USA without visa concerns, although its probably wiser to use my degree's prestige in the EU - people might not know or care about highly ranked European business schools in the States.

1 Comments
 

Maiores officia et non repellat illo itaque. Culpa dolore suscipit ut nemo. Autem enim optio eos hic vel amet nam. Nisi accusantium ut debitis explicabo. Explicabo molestiae numquam a alias sed velit aut.

Qui quidem iure non facilis. Veniam omnis doloribus consectetur nobis non. A illum laudantium consectetur unde perspiciatis tempore enim. Voluptatem ratione cumque harum vel.

Voluptatum et ea numquam ab atque neque enim voluptates. Autem facilis velit quia officia eum quis. Nemo ad est autem aut. Delectus id qui ipsum tempore necessitatibus quis dolor. Ullam earum et adipisci nam.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”