Is there zero chance of entering BB analyst (IBD, S&T) positions after graduation and a few years' full time work?

I graduated from college in June 2009, when the economy was collapsing. Many of my classmates couldn't find jobs for 6 months or more, including myself.

I went back to school for a 1-year master's degree that was roughly equivalent to an MFin. But then I got screwed again in 2012. Both Goldman and Morgan Stanley held infosessions at my school, but I was told they had already filled their entire first-year analyst class with summer interns; no one was hired directly into full-time.

Fast-forward only 1-2 years, and BB IBD analysts get to work on some of the most exciting IPOs of this generation.

Do you know anyone who's been offered a BB full-time analyst position after graduation (military service doesn't count)? If so, how did they do it and how did the bypass recruiters' requirements for "anticipated graduation in Fall 2014 or Spring 2015?" Based on what I know, it seems like that ship will have sailed as soon as you receive your diploma.

At this point I'm reluctant to go back to school for an MBA, due to the costs, the overlapping curriculum (I've taken enough accounting, marketing, org behavior, etc. classes in UG & grad to know I'm not interested in those areas), etc. At this point, an MBA (and it'd have to be a top 20 MBA) would only be used for potential networking & recruiting opportunities, but likely not much else.

I attended target schools for both degrees with great GPAs and all that. If I were still a student right now, in the current economic climate, I'm quite sure I would have at least gotten an interview (though getting an offer is another story).

Thanks for your help ... I really appreciate it.

4 Comments
 

Spare us the history lesson. Sounds like you're making a lot of excuses and blaming everything but yourself. I graduated in 2009 as well and I've seen non-target kids get full time IBD offers that year. That tells me the well wasn't completely dry. Instead of asking if we've heard about others being hired, you should be asking why YOU are not getting hired. Two target degrees and excellent grades and you're still not in the industry 5 years out of school.

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Best Response

"I graduated from college in June 2009, when the economy was collapsing. Many of my classmates couldn't find jobs for 6 months or more, including myself."

But many of your classmates could find a job. Maybe not the job they wanted out of the gate, and many had to trade down before trading back up, but if you hustled, worked hard, and kept your eyes open, there were definitely opportunities to be had, especially as banks started recruiting aggressively in 2010 / 2011 to make up for under-hiring in 2009.

"I went back to school for a 1-year master's degree that was roughly equivalent to an MFin. But then I got screwed again in 2012. Both Goldman and Morgan Stanley held infosessions at my school, but I was told they had already filled their entire first-year analyst class with summer interns; no one was hired directly into full-time."

GS and MS aren't the only banks on Wall Street. What about the 20+ other reputable shops that exist on Wall Street?

"I attended target schools for both degrees with great GPAs and all that. If I were still a student right now, in the current economic climate, I'm quite sure I would have at least gotten an interview (though getting an offer is another story)."

Rather than dwell on if ands or buts, why not focus in on what you can do at this point? Also, banking isn't the end all and be all of a successful career. There are many other ways to lead a successful career.

 

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