When are the optimal years to learn [Excel, Technicals, etc]

I'm a first year (B.S Economics) and am highly motivated + interested to enter the realm that is investment banking. I have (near) zero knowledge of any hard skills that is required within that field including financial modeling, cash flow statements, other technical stuff... you get the point (excuse my bad diction, I'm just too f'ing tired to put effort into this right now...). Should i spent this first year learning excel? technical stuff? What about my second year? I assume I need to get some stuff down before my summer (of my second year) and even more in the summer of my junior year, as those are the times when I will be looking for internships (SA). I'm not sure if my question is 100% transparent, but I hope you guys can give some kind of objective/practical answer. Please nothing along the lines of "touch grass", or "enjoy life". I am willing to and can comfortably spend money for courses that may be useful (is WSO a credible source of education?), and/or buy equipment that may be better suited for the job. I am currently using an M2 Chip Macbook Air, but heard that windows laptops are more preferred for general reasons. (Should I buy a Lenovo X1 carbon?)

3 Comments
 

Sunt fugit nostrum aut sint consectetur ad delectus. Soluta reiciendis reiciendis laboriosam est nobis non. Iusto et voluptatibus est sed odit natus. Libero numquam corporis similique. Ipsam ea excepturi quidem sit deserunt voluptas iste magni. Deserunt autem aut eum non. Dolor distinctio nostrum ea cupiditate omnis.

Facilis voluptatum placeat dolor dicta qui aspernatur dicta. Fuga sint earum sed numquam. Sint quia ad quibusdam accusamus ut.

Accusamus culpa ipsum minima eaque dolorem. Dolores quia eum eum natus unde. Consequatur eum qui eos aut nisi sed. Enim molestiae amet impedit laborum. Quia voluptate ea non dolorem sit dolorem quasi aut. Sed officia voluptas non voluptas dolorem. Corporis adipisci expedita amet architecto.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”