Build a Niche or stay General (IB SA RECRUITING)
Current sophomore studying CS/Electrical Engineering and Economics (minor in International Relations) at a target (non-HYPSM), recruiting for SA28. Is it better to build a niche early on or stay general?
Experience
- Research Intern, defense-related CS research (pre-freshman summer)
- VC Intern, no-name fund (freshman summer; sole intern)
- Incoming Software Engineering Co-op, well-known defense startup (sophomore spring)
Summer 2027 Options
- Defense Policy, US government position (Senate, House, etc.): More directly aligned with past experiences, creating a clear narrative for industrials groups, but potentially too niche too early.
- Software Engineering, well-known but non-prestigious tech company (think Pinterest, Spotify, or eBay): Less coherent with my existing experience, but potentially opens more doors across TMT, consumer, and other coverage groups.
- Try and find a last minute search fund internship to get more direct finance experience.
Questions
Which summer option would be more valuable for investment banking recruiting?
Would you prioritize building a clear defense/industrials narrative this early, or keep my options open for broader coverage groups?
How easy is it to transfer groups after an internship? Interested but not 100% set on industrials.
You don't need a niche yet. You certainly don't need to engineer your entire career around getting into an industrials coverage group.
Of those two, I'd take the SWE role. You've already got a defense background, and adding a recognizable tech company gives you more options. A random search fund internship isn't going to move the needle much, but I do see a lot more of you guys doing 2 internships in one summer. If you can squeeze in two, it shows drive & initiative.
Also, if IB is the goal, why CS/EE? Have a good answer for that one when you interview. The more your experience & education strays further from IB, the more questions you'll have to answer.
go for the SWE role. IB is broken right now. SWE pays more and for better hours.
With SWE you'll at least get a good fallback option, and you’ll learn valuable skills
But yeah why not IB internships if that’s your goal?
Bump
having a clear interest helps your story but don't box yourself in too hard
the SWE role is safe but neutral; won’t wow IB interviewers the same way finance experience does
bump
Bumping to see if anyone has thoughts on transferability.
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