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If you got hired, your team doesn’t think it’s too late. 24 is perfectly fine. Strap in, work hard, learn as much as possible, and enjoy the ride.
How do you have 5 years of experience at 24?
Started working (in banking, not part-time) at 19 while studying
How did you work full time corporate banking and credit risk while going to school?
Happens all the time. My MFin classmates some had 5-6 years experience in diff industries and started as An1 at 27-28.
Don’t get life advice from WSO college kids with no real world experience.
It’s a 40-50 year career, a few years here and there doesn’t matter, what matters is you enjoy what you do and make bank over the long term.
Age is more of a factor than experience, and since you're only 24 you're well in-line.
I'm 28 and started as an A1. Yes it sucks at times, you can't do the hours like you used to be able to and you're surrounded by people much more immature than you, but if it's what you want to build a career out of it's worth it. I think once you hit associate as well then age matters less - tons of 30+ y.o. associates from MBA programs except you'd have an edge given you got two years of technical experience.
If you're open to it, I'd very much like to have a virtual chat with you and hear about your journey and experience. I'm 27 finishing my finance undergrad and have been pursuing IB for the past 4 years.
What school? What country? Have you had any internships yet? Give me more colour. Feel free to dm answers.
Long term internships during college are not viewed as equivalent to FT work in finance. You have some experience but not 5 years full time experience worth... you just graduated and sounds like had to lateral to get to banking. You are fine. Most analysts 1 are 24
In Europe most people come in as AN1 at 24 because they go do a lot of off cycles and a Masters. The only people who dont are those educated in the UK, or Nordics Ive noticed.
Most an1s are 23-24, so an2s are 24-25. Being 28 isn’t ‘old’ lol you’re only a few years older than the others but in a very similar stage of life.
The place I interned at had several analysts who started later. One was from corporate banking and lateraled in halfway into his third year. Another guy came from consulting. One guy graduated a couple of years later than usual. Plenty of mba associates who started in their early to mid 30s as well.
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