Recently a new bright WSO Academy student started in our Nov 6th cohort (740 GMAT). She is from Saudi Arabia where she was the first female to serve in the military, an entrepreneur that sold her business for $2mm USD to help fund her education here in the US -- currently at USC studying financial engineering, OPT eligible, but graduates in May 2024 and is looking to work in finance to help her stay in the USA.
Her background looks more VC oriented, but she really wants a more traditional finance role. Where should we point her (AM? IB?) and where are her odds best to get her placed in the next 6 months? OPINIONS PLEASE!
Wow, this student sounds like a real go-getter! With her entrepreneurial background and financial engineering studies, she's got a unique blend of practical and theoretical knowledge that could be a real asset in the finance world.
Given her desire for a more traditional finance role, I'd suggest she consider Investment Banking (IB). It's a field that values the kind of analytical skills she's likely developing in her financial engineering program, and her entrepreneurial experience could give her a unique perspective when it comes to advising clients on M&A deals or capital raising.
Asset Management (AM) could also be a good fit, especially if she's interested in the investment side of finance. Her entrepreneurial experience could be particularly valuable here, as it likely gave her a good understanding of business fundamentals and risk assessment.
In terms of placement odds, both fields are competitive, but with her impressive background and the support of the WSO Academy, I'd say she's got a good shot at landing a role in either. She might want to consider which field aligns more closely with her long-term career goals and interests.
Remember, the WSO Academy offers a range of resources to help with this decision, including the Networking Guide, Investment Banking Prep, and Private Equity interviews. She can also take advantage of the WSO Resume Review and Mock Interviews to boost her chances even further.
Good luck to her! She's got a bright future ahead.
Sources: Amherst or Bowdoin for IB? Recruitment/Placement?, AM salary vs IB salary
It’s called OPT and not OTP and she does need sponsorship or she will be deported in 1 or 3 years depending on her major
Yeah, I was thinking, tf is WSO talking about. Everyone’s on OPT after a US degree.
If she has over 500k left from the sale, she can start her business and employ US persons. Then, she can qualify for an investor visa. Otherwise, no-sponsorship is BS.
sorry for the typo. There is a 24 month extension for STEM only degrees... financial engineering masters falls under that. I thought that gives them 3 total yrs post grad of work authorization, no?
Everyone gets 1 year.
if it is a STEM degree, you can extend it 2-year extra after that provided your company is E-verified (verified with US immigrations for sponsoring purposes).
So, need a E-verified company to use that 2-year.
Plus, you always have to answer you need sponsorship in the future. OPT is not considered no-sponsorship required.
fair, I'll update the OP. For employers - how hard / onerous is the process to be e-verified? approximate size of organizations that are typically e-verified? thank you
From what I hear, it is not onerous and is fairly simple. But that is what I heard, I do not stand by it.
But the issue with E-verification is mostly the USCIS wants to know everyone who is employed at your firm to make sure you aren’t hiring illegals or people that are not on proper work permit. To do that, you have to give info of all your employees along with SSN for verification with US immigration.
Big corporations - especially tech ones - are generally all E-verified. For smaller ones, it is more of a case by case basis. I have seen companies with 20-30 headcount be e-verified as well as those with couple hundred not e-verified. So it is really dependent on the company.
Very easy process most companies already are but the point is still the same, if you aren’t sponsored after 3 years you have to leave. If you are sponsored then you have a chance of getting the h1b working visa but that’s not granted at all (nowadays you have a 10-15% chance once a year)
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