Faked my way into Investment Banking

When I started out recruiting for Investment Banking as a Junior all I did was memorize 400 Questions & Answers from the Investment Banking guide and cheated my way through Accounting classes so I have no fundamentals except knowing what the I/S, BS, CFS do but having no ide what EBITDA is really used for and to see whether or not a company is worth pursuing in Buy/Sell Side transactions. I will be starting my internship next two weeks and really need guidance and see if anyone else has been in my situation and can offer some advice.

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Realistically you know as much as every other intern lol as much as a hardo junior in college wants to think he knows if a company is worth acquiring, at the end of the day he knows nothing.

You'll be fine and will learn on the job like everyone else, the expectations for interns are so low in terms of finance knowledge, you're pretty much just expected to work hard and make pretty powerpoints. Everything else you'll be taught or learn from watching others. The odds of using any finance fundamentals during your internship are low.

 

Acknowledging that you know nothing is a great start! As everyone said, you'll be fine. Just make sure that you are proactive in learning during your internship.

 

Learn as much as you can every day. Over time your knowledge will accumulate and you’ll get the hang of the job.

Ask questions and ask for advice, there are tons of people who have been in your same shoes before and would be happy to help 

 

I came from a liberal arts background and didn’t take a single business or accounting class in college. 
 

Similar to you, I memorized interview guides and networked extensively. In the months before my internship started and even during my internship, I learned as much as could from online courses to understand finance and valuation. Had a good attitude, seeked out FT mentors, and got a return. Continued to refine my understanding of finance into my senior year and hit the ground running when I started full time. You can do it my guy everyone has to start from somewhere. 

 

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