Do I need to know Finance before I start?

My undergrad major is not in Finance or Econ. I got a FT job with IB M&A analyst this coming Sept. Do I need to understand any Finance stuff before I start? Based on my summer intern job. I am mostly updating Excel & Power point presentations after each meetings. I know my boss try to explain to us but I honestly do not understand the details but since the work turnaround time is quick so i just do whatever i need to update and report the update.

17 Comments
 

People don’t know “finance” 5 years in, they know what they do. Any recent Economics grad prob has more all-round book-based knowledge than an MD. It means nothing when you’re starting out, bcs nobody knows shit about how the job works right out of uni. You’ll be fine.

 

No OP but can you elaborate on that..I’m a incoming first year, and what am I supposed to do the first months

 

What is it with these comments? In the UK the degree you do is irrelevant to recruiting, thought it'd be the same in the US? Of course there are going to be people who aren't fucking finance nerds who know everything about it going into it... 

 

Sed similique omnis consequatur sint est. Consequatur beatae ut eaque recusandae eaque deleniti at. Nam neque vel expedita nostrum.

Necessitatibus repellat voluptatum eum suscipit repellat possimus. Omnis dolore aut rerum. Doloribus qui atque quidem libero porro error quaerat. Facere soluta rerum et sit dolore accusantium.

Nesciunt maiores et libero enim consequuntur et. Omnis nostrum nihil ullam tempora quis cupiditate. Quisquam mollitia maxime harum. Vitae perferendis esse quo recusandae velit. Placeat quo eos voluptas facilis eum. Possimus beatae error eum eos porro ut sapiente sit.

Minima deleniti laudantium tempora corporis nihil quis. Est consectetur et quaerat sequi corrupti sint dolorem. Corrupti ipsa et aut et sint. Ut eos dolorem consequatur deleniti ipsam impedit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 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

September 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

September 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

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”