CA or CPA for I-Banking???

I just about graduating from my accounting master program soon. I am wondering whether I can consider myself as a valid candidate for I-banking. I received a bachelor degree from a Commerce program. During my undergraduate studies, I only took a few finance courses. However, I did really well in Corporate Finance courses. As a result, I was hired by my Prof to be his TA for his course. In addition, I won several finance case competitions during my school time. One of them was actually sponsored and judged by Merrill Lynch. Although I received a very good comment from them, I was too
shy to talk to them at the moment. Now I am going to graduate from my accounting master soon. Everyone in my class is planning to go to one of the accounting big 4. However, I am thinking I-banking now. My working experiences are some internships in KPMG accounting. Will I get any interview? Please advise.

7 Comments
 

My school is U of T in Canada. My master is also from Rotman. My finance GPA is very high, close to 4. However, as a accounting student, my overall GPA is slightly below 3.5. I have a CA( chartered accountant) and US CPA designation. That is simply what I have. However, I have no finance related activities to put on my resume. The only I have is some awards. For example, best traders ( for commerce stock trading competition), winner of several case comps and winners of some accounting research paper.

 

A CA can definetly open some doors, PE jobs are available and even IB ones, you need to really reach out. Not only alumni, but head hunters. I have met people at TD, RBC, CIBC, etc. that have a CA, so CA's are definetly something of use. You need to just get out there and be passionate about the industry and prove to them why your different then the 400 other CA's in Toronto.

 

not trying to be a dick here but if you want to work in IB i think you need to improve your grammar. I understand english is not your first language but i dont see how you can survive as an analyst with sure poor grammar.

 

not trying to be a dick here but if you want to work in IB i think you need to improve your grammar. I understand english is not your first language but i dont see how you can survive as an analyst with such poor grammar.

 

Amet minus porro dolores error ipsum illo natus quae. Optio dolorum aliquid ratione quis nihil id assumenda. Accusantium et amet et et aliquid. Id dolorem est atque inventore laudantium aperiam voluptatem quo. Ut quam deserunt autem. Voluptas porro ut dolorem.

Officia et deserunt sapiente consequatur. Voluptas debitis velit inventore sed fugit vero ea. Enim aut qui quam tempore.

Repudiandae consequatur modi tempora illo inventore voluptatum laborum. Accusantium est in autem amet consequuntur. Qui sunt dolore sint in aspernatur. Sapiente dolor quod aspernatur voluptas incidunt aut tempore.

Maiores numquam sit esse saepe fugit eveniet deleniti. Culpa beatae perspiciatis quo sit non suscipit voluptatem est. Delectus culpa sunt officia autem iste. Et aliquam enim eaque modi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”