Civil Engineering degree - What are my chances of getting into IB?
Hello WSO.
So I have graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering with A+ in all my quantitative subjects with 1:1 Honours and currently a University Medal Candidate. What are my chances of breaking into IB? At the time of accepting I was indecisive as to what path I wanted to take but much, later on, I learnt that Civil Engineering wasn't for me but at this stage, it was too late to change.
Happy to take questions if more info is needed.
From the information you gave, having first class honours and all A+es in your quantitative courses should be a good start, although this alone will not be enough to break into IB.
Any internships you have done relating to finance/banking?
P.S. Just my two cents, but with an A+ in all your quantitative subjects, I think you'd be more suitable in a BO role?
It should be noted that when I refer to quantitative subjects I am merely Diff Calc, Integral Calc and Partial Diff equations.
Don't forget to contact alumni working IBD from your university. Connections are really, really important!
Good luck with your endeavors.
In my experience, regional boutiques are sometimes more understanding with a switch like that. I came from public accounting (granted, it's slightly more relevant than civil engineering), and interviewed at a local boutique against others who had banking experience and still got the position. I'm sure it depends on the bank itself and their mindsets as well, but if you have a good story and strong reasoning behind why you want to switch, I think it's very possible to get into a smaller bank. After getting that experience, you'll then have some finance background that will help you break into larger banks (if that's your ultimate goal).
Would the Boutique IB firms have the same talent pool applying?
It varies. They've had people here that eventually went on to work at GS, and others that come because they haven't been able to grab offers from the larger banks they applied to. At least in my experience, I've worked with qualified bankers so far so I imagine the talent pool is not too different.
PM me OP, I have the same background as you and was fortunate to leverage my background to get a gig. Happy to share my 2 cents
Hey Damnmemoriae,
At this stage, I can not PM you because I am new here. I would greatly appreciate your input. Is there any other mode of communication that would work for you?
I've seen a number of engineering majors in banking. You could play up your desire to advice on engineering and construction deals.
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