Looking to break in at age 28 - should I hide that I already tried in college?

I majored in econ at a non-target, interned at a tiny pseudo-investment-bank, and for a couple of reasons (including having the bad luck of encountering a very bad hiring cycle in my chosen city for IB) decided to go to graduate school for computer science rather than apply for jobs. I had real problems in grad school, dropped out and did some freelance work, before starting an entry level business job. So I have a strange and not very impressive resume. But I'm going to try to leverage my current industry experience to apply for an analyst position at one of the few IB offices which specializes in my niche industry.

My question is, when networking and applying, should I be open about the fact that I studied and prepared for investment banking in college, only to take a different path at the last minute, only to then change my mind back again? Or should I cover it up and present myself as someone who is just looking into investment banking for the first time? I can probably do the latter without explicitly lying, but it'd be misleading. I prefer to be honest when I can.

7 Comments
 

I went through something similar where I wasn’t sure whether or not to address something that I thought would make me look bad.

I addressed it with some banks and avoided it for others. I progressed wayyy further into the interview process when I addressed it. The offer I ultimately accepted was from a bank I was honest with.

You should incorporate your failure to break in into your “tell me about yourself”. It shows humility, determination, and it will earn you respect.

 

Sed provident voluptatem qui est. Omnis sequi ea est nemo praesentium. In veniam laudantium laboriosam fugiat sint. Harum minima repellendus saepe soluta optio. Exercitationem officia ipsum ducimus ducimus consequuntur aperiam sed.

Laudantium illo quasi eius soluta dolores eligendi eum odio. Rerum consequatur consequatur ut est accusantium tempore. Et consequatur exercitationem recusandae reprehenderit sint eum architecto. Debitis porro id temporibus velit. Blanditiis unde omnis quo commodi eos incidunt.

Atque assumenda placeat culpa quo dolor. Cum et ipsa pariatur asperiores dolorem. Nihil qui qui hic non exercitationem quaerat.

Consequatur aut quam ducimus reiciendis. Dolor et a qui est tempore rerum. Rerum autem dolorem voluptatum ea natus voluptas. Quo veniam iste voluptate molestiae. Sed rem delectus debitis reiciendis aperiam deserunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”