Entry level jobs that might help with IB?
I will be graduating in July from a decent state school with an accounting degree with a terrible gpa (2.75). I’m 25 years old and have had a bit of an atypical path to graduation. I’m an alcoholic and have been sober for 3 years. This is why my gpa is so low and it’s taken me so long, pretty much failed every class first two years.
I wasn’t interested in IB until recently and really wish I hadn’t fucked up at first. My only work experience is working for my family business and never had any internships because I was playing catch up and always in summer classes.
I know it is a long shot into IB for me but what are some type of jobs I could try and get to help add value to my resume that might look good to IB and allow an entry point?
You're likely going to have to find someone 1) who's inordinately receptive to your story (maybe the founder of a LM boutique who has been sober for 20+ years) or 2) a connection willing to do you (/ your family and family business, if well-connected enough) a big favor.
I'm loathe to suggest this, but if you're dead-set on IB, an MBA might actually be your clearest path forward, after a few years of work in industry. Sounds like you need a reset. Are you a decent standardized test-taker?
Thanks for the response but yeah I’m actually a very good standardized test taker. I’ve definitely thought about the mba route. I’m really just trying to formulate a plan
Sketching out a rough yearly plan certainly seems like a great place to start. I’m no BSchool admissions counselor, but if I had to guess, I’d say you’d probably be a viable ‘story’ admit, so all else being equal, when presented with two options (jobs, volunteering, locations, etc.) consider choosing the one that’ll add a few more interesting twists to your narrative. You’ll need to couple that story with a killer GMAT to prove your undergrad GPA isn’t representative — shoot me a PM if you want to talk prep in detail. On one hand, it may be a bit premature in the scheme of the “plan,” but on the other, you’re still in test-taking mode from school, which is a huge plus.
Finally, as someone who’s your age and in your targeted industry (for now, at least) — enjoy the years between now and your eventual arrival. Everyone knows the cliche about journeys and destinations, but it holds especially true when the destination involves cancelling Saturday night plans to make graphical changes in PowerPoint for a meeting that’ll be rescheduled on Monday morning.
IB at DB or UBS
Definitely MBA. Aim for 3-5 years work experience and a 700+ GMAT. You'll have an opportunity to explain your undergrad in your application. If there's a strong upward trend in your junior/senior year and you had medical problems early on, that's better than just obviously not caring throughout college.
As for right now - if you have an accounting degree can you pick up an accounting job at a corporate? This isn't a direct path into IB but will be fine with an MBA. It's a solid job, and probably one of the few business roles hiring right now. The finance rotational programs at F500 companies are also good entry level roles, but often very competitive out of college. Also look into operations/back office roles at BBs (GS, JP, MS etc) these are not as strict on GPA + are a known name brand and natural story for your MBA. These might be more competitive and filled by now, but worth seeing if any are open.
The more work experience you have the less the 2.7 is a huge deal. Stay in your role for a few years and work on your GMAT and volunteer work.
Congratulations on the 3 years sober and good luck with your path forward.
I am in a similar boat to yours and I have made some progress toward hopefully turning this IB dream of mine into a reality. I graduated from a state school last May, 2.7 GPA, no relevant internship experience. I managed to land a temp job at a regional commercial bank thru an agency in the credit risk department. when the contract expired, I was able to leverage my experience into interviews with many corporate finance and commercial lending roles, as well as a corporate banking role. I ended up accepting an offer in the risk management department at a F200 which I’ve been at for 6 months or so. still not giving up on my dream, I took the GMAT and got a 700+ score and I have been admitted into a top 15-25 university in which I am pursuing an MSF. the path will still be difficult for me, but it is much more possible now. given that top mba’s usually require work experience I decided the msf would be a better option for me personally. I think what everybody else said is good advice.. just get yourself some analytical experience and tell a compelling story on your grad school application and you should be able to open some doors that are closed to you currently. good luck man let’s make it happen
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