VP by 30?
Is VP by 30 possible if you do A2A? How possible/achievable is it to make VP by 30 at EBs or BBs?
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Would say that given the accelerated 2 yr promotion schedule from A2A, and what is a pretty standard 3-3.5 year track Associate length, that this is definitely not unrealistic. You might not hit VP at the bank you're climbing at as a junior, but you would land VP somewhere.
Graduating college @ 22/23, that's VP around 28/29 which looks right to me
Based simply on math - if you are A2A and not a VP by 30 then something went wrong.
Bigger questions around the daily grind, skill level, client facing abilities, etc.
VP promotion isn’t typically a level people get weeded out at - that typically happens at director level. It’s more about taking the pain and punishment over 5-6 years until you’re up for promotion.
Yeah, agreed with the comments above - achieving VP by 30y/o shouldn't be that much of an ask.
The impressive people are the ones that make MD by 30y/o. Eric Mindich is possibly the most renowned alumnus of this class: worked at GS in his summers while at high school and college, graduated with a degree in Economics from Harvard, joined GS as a full-time employee in 1988, became the firm's youngest ever partner at 27y/o in 1994...
Do you think that is still feasible today? It seems like the promotion track is so standardized now compared with the 80s and 90s that exceptions wouldn't be made even for the sharpest bankers in deviating from the standard timeline.
Yeah, agree that it used to be a lot more common / less structured, but I have seen it happen in recent times. Knew a rates trades at a BB who was an MD, and he was 29y/o. Guess it's one of the few advantaged S&T has over IBD: if you're excellent, it's easier to move up the scale (mainly because you can begin to generate meaningful revenue at an earlier stage).
We're talking about IBD though, where making MD in IBD before 30 is almost unheard of at any legitimate shop given the structured/linear nature of the business
In the Securities division, accelerated promotions based on merit and ability are much more common - i.e. Eric Mindich. Ashok Varadhan, the current head of GS Securities Division also made Partner MD before 30
To answer OP's question - every A2A will make VP before 30 if they are good
Agreed, a good question would be is director by 30 possible? I would think that most people hit director around 33-35.
I've only seen one guy at my firm who is a 2-3rd year director and is around 32/33. Think he graduated from HYP law and came in as a VP after 2-3 years of working M&A law (partner brought him in) and then after 3 years hit director by the age of 30(ish)
The traditional promotion cadence allows for VP by late 20s if A2A. I was A2A and made VP when I was 28 and D when I was 31. After making D level, the earlier you can consistently generate revenue, the sooner an MD promotion will be.
Was all the grinding worth it?
curious
Every A2A in my group who is 30 is at least a VP. Just do the simple math - 2 or 3 years as analyst and 3.5 years as associate.
The soonest you can hit VP at my shop is 4 years (accelerated A2A then accelerated to VP)
I've seen anywhere from 1.5-5 years. Sometimes I was shocked to see some individuals move up the ranks so quickly. It seems in some cases, to be a combo of hard work you put in, in the beginning & who you know & get close to, so start making friends in that respect if you haven't already.
It's absolutely possible to become a VP by 30 from what i've seen. I'm at a boutique for my internship so it might be different than an EB or BB, but both VPs i'm working under and another one who just moved over to the PE side just before my stint started are all under 30. They all started at BBs or EBs then moved into the boutique as VPs, so that may have had an effect. I believe they all went A2A at their first banks then moved into a VP promotion
To echo some of the other comments here, I literally can't conceive of a scenario where you wouldn't be a VP by the time you're 30. They don't even fire people below VP unless your bank sucks. You literally just have to exist and not have a mental breakdown and quit to make VP by 30.
Frankly think anyone who has the drive and potential to be a VP in banking by 30 shouldn't be in banking (at that age).
Ok so humor me. Analyst at 21. 3 years to Associate places you at 24. 3 Years to VP places you at 27. No "drive" involved.
Even with some sort of unexplained wiggle room built in here, anybody who hasn't quit is a VP by 30. It's not like they're forcing people to be 4th year Analysts and Associates. Even the bump from VP to Director is built-in. It's Director and beyond where you actually get screened based on your ability at most banks.
Someone is going to have to explain to me how this is even a question.
You’re assuming a steady economy and no layoffs in this scenario.
No promotion is guaranteed by simply “being around” as last man standing or existing as a mouth-breather.
I know somebody who was the only 3rd-year associate and staffer at a bank. He didn’t get the VP promote even after his entire associate class (or most) had left for other banks & opportunities.
When I was a banker (pre-crisis), no analyst in my class who had the intellectual horsepower or curiosity to stay in finance stayed for a 3rd year in the instances where they got one. I'm sure this outcome will vary based on where we are in the business cycle. I hear that analysts are getting hit up by recruiters earlier and earlier now so simply assuming that those who actually have the intellectual drive to apply what they learned in school (take risk and invest) will actually do so.
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