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.

 

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