Junior at a Non Target who wants to give up
I'm a rising junior at a non target with a gpa of 3.5 (so not the highest) and I'm not sure what my next steps are from here. I wasn't able to secure a summer internship for my sophomore year, and am instead taking classes over the summer to boost my gpa before next semester as well as planning on taking the SIE in early July. I'm also currently holding a few officer positions in 2 of our largest finance clubs on campus. I only recently became interested in pursuing something in high finance, but I'm starting to realize that its most definitely too late for me, since summer internships for 2026 are coming to a close, and while I could network now for the few roles that open up in August, most peoples emails are probably swamped right about now. I'm wondering what my next steps are from here, and what other career paths I could potentially pivot towards in high or corporate finance. I feel like I realized what I wanted to do too late, and now have no opportunities to pursue it.
Don't worry about it, man. Finance is a dead end industry going forward. AI and rising interest rates will decimate rank and file in the next 5-10 years.
someone got laid off!
Honestly, if you want to give up, just give up. I've seen so much post traffic about people asking "AM I COOKED" and the other bunch saying "DON'T GIVE UP BRO YOU CAN DO THIS".
Just give up if you want to, WSO is not your personal cheerleading group. Just don't look back and regret it.
Side note: just wanted to share that i've seen people join IBD as an analyst after their masters in 28 or even 30. so if you grind and do your best, hey you might get it. But if there's anything I learnt in this world, is that even if you work your hardest and do your best, you might not succeed.
You do you.
Hey, completely fair. Just wanted some potential advice on what my next steps could be following this. I know I'm late to the game, not looking for anyone to take it easy on me or trying to throw pity a party. And thank you for the side note, I really do appreciate it.
Well, take it from me, semi-target here. Had an final round interview with GS Investment Partners, didn't get it, thereafter didn't get any FO BB offers, thought I was fucked for life and would have to work as a back office scum, disgracing my bloodline and kinda broke down in the toilet. Proceeded to get retrenched less than a year into my first job, joined another bank, joined another shop and got retrenched due to covid etc. and now?
I think i'm doing fine, not in BB IBD, but in a front office role and i'm comfortable upper middle class. I look back at what I did around a decade ago and now i would have thought i was a big drama queen. Heck, i look at some syndications folks whom i used to scoff at and now i think they have great lives.
I do sympathise with you, non-targets/semi-targets don't really get the most targeted advice here (i mean, it's free and the internet is a rather cruel place).
My advice -> just do your best and keep hustling until you get it. play the part of an investment banking analyst who is always learning and improving himself, outgoing and likeable, knows his shit, takes beatings to the chest with a smile on his face. Warning, it might take years, but if you want it, you might just get it. just be aware of the costs, it really does cost some people a bit.
I remember being in your shoes, except mine were literal snow boots because, at the time, I was an assistant branch manager at the WF Anchorage branch. The only "targets" we had were the red ones that moose would charge at during rutting season. I was knee deep in retail banking, trying to hit my upsell quota for the Bilt mastercard in a place where most people live in igloos.
Those moments — cold, fluorescent lit moments — are when I felt like I was about to give up too. But one day, it clicked. I realized if I gave up, I'd be letting down thousands of ancestors who almost got trampled by wooly mammoths just so I could try for a gig at Goldman. So I changed my habits. I started emailing VPs for coffee chats.
After enough late nights, red bulls, and grit, I landed myself a gig at KPMG and started commuting to NYC by plane, so I could keep fishing on the weekend. I even saved up enough Alaska miles to get a one-way basic economy ticket to Chattanooga, where I have been ever since, hitting 22 below par on the golf course.
If I can leave you with some advice, it's this,
You don’t have to win junior year. You just have to not quit. That’s it. Finance is 70% resilience, 20% Excel, 10% knowing which fonts to use in your PowerPoint.
Every banker loves a good story, especially one that involves grit, rejection, and mild frostbite. So take the rejection emails and use them to fuel you.
Because one day, when you’re sitting Bora Bora as a Goldman MD, having stressed out 23 year olds work 80 hours a week so you can work 10, you'll look back and think "damn am I glad I didn't give up".
You got this man.
False and rage bait . No one takes PTO in IB not even MDs
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