What skills will I learn in IB?
Hi,
I’m a rising sophomore in college studying electrical engineering. I’m trying to get my goals for internships and a career in line. I’m considering a career in finance. I’m hesitant because I don’t understand what hard skills I’ll be able to learn working at a finance firm whether it’s IB, hedge funds, or VC. My eventual goal is to work/build my own company. It seems like I’d be able to build my skill set more by working in an engineering company post grad, but I’ve heard that many people start companies after leaving finance. I was hoping to get some insight what hard skills I might actually pick up in a finance career that are applicable outside of the financial industry and could be applied in running a company?
Sorry if this question is misguided. I don’t have much background in this subject and just saw some good answers here before. Thank you for any help. Any advice is appreciated.
how to stay awake
Well, beyond that. For example, at an engineering company, I’d learn a lot of industry knowledge that I can take with me to apply elsewhere once I leave.
The technical skills you will learn during your IB stint can help you if you choose to go down the entrepreneurial path, but I think the most important skills you learn come from being in a client facing role. You learn how to communicate with the people in your group, with people in other groups, with people at other banks and with clients (ranging from junior level employees to CEOs at some of the largest companies). All of these interactions help make you learn how to act professional and while also getting a glimpse into the C-Suite so you can get a better understanding of the strategic thinking these executives do on a daily basis. After a little over a year in my role, I can already say I've grown way more professionally than any of my college peers that took start-up or consulting roles. I would just note that IB isn't for everyone, so I would definitely look into it more before deciding to forego any engineering jobs. The pay will definitely be better and you'll get more real-world experience, but being an engineer might give you more of an upper hand depending on what type of company you want to start.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful answer. This is exactly what I was looking for. It really helped a lot in giving me an better picture of IB.
Sucking dick
The only thing that will prepare you for entrepreneurship is doing entrepreneurship. You will learn many skills in IB/Consulting that can be applied in a start-up capacity but most of them will not be useful in doing a start-up.
Nam assumenda voluptates non fugiat vel. Eveniet velit et architecto autem enim explicabo architecto.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...