Is Investment banking a viable career option? And what other finance roles are on the same level?

My dream would be to go into investment banking, but I'm not sure if it’s a possible career. I have an offer to study Economics, Statistics, and Finance at UCL, which is a target school for IB. But after looking at some statistics, the chances of getting into spring weeks, let alone an internship, are very low. And that knowing someone is very important in getting a job. As well as job security is very low, and you can get fired at any point. 

Basically, I applied for this course in the hope of getting into IB for the high pay, but now I’m kinda regretting it after finding there is a limited roles. What other career options are open with a degree like this that are on the same level in IB?

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i) Correct. IB is the only job you can be fired from at any point, all other industries need to keep you there for a minimum of 5 years before letting someone go. Maybe 6 after Brexit, I haven’t checked lately. 

ii) If your “dream” is to go IB, and because competition is high you’re already giving up, then you deserve to be mediocre for the rest of your life. 

iii) You have at least 3 years of undergrad and potentially another year for Masters. If after 4 years applying and genuinely trying to improve a little bit everyday, thinking about where you went wrong when you get rejected, learning technicals, reaching out to people and building network, doing extracurriculars, having good grades etc. you haven’t gotten a single offer. Then again, you’re right and should work for Tesco for the rest of your life as a cashier. 

 

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