Been trying to get into IB for 3 years … close to giving up

I need some motivation pls , success stories from people who weren’t from the cookie cutter background of junior year internship converts.

I’ve been trying to get into IB for 3 years now (ignore anon title). First tried to lateral in from non-IB role then ended up doing a Master’s to get a chance at on-cycle.

The closest I got was this past recruiting cycle (2023 FT) but the market was so shit that I ended up settling for a non-IB role … each day I feel unfulfilled in my career and always thinking about the “what if”.

It’s not even about the ability anymore … ‘cause of my prior job experience I can model laps around young college grads coming into the industry rn , my technicals are rock-solid, my story is genuine , I don’t break a sweat when it comes to the behaviourals. The only thing holding me back is not the thought that this might not be for me but the thought of starting this process for the third time round and failing yet again, being told yet again that I’m not good enough …

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

What are you doing now?

Masters was probably not the best idea, FT is always a crapshoot and you are starting out from a tough spot not having an internship to recruit from. If you can stomach more school, M7 MBA is a pretty guaranteed route to IB associate. But it really depends what you are doing now.

I also wouldn't tie so much of your worth to IB. IB sucks. There are plenty of great finance careers way outside of IB where you can make plenty of money and do well. This forum is very focused on prestige but just blindly following it at all costs to a job with 90% burnout rate isn't always the best idea.

 

Magni iusto minus ducimus ut sint temporibus quidem. Quo ipsa libero molestiae eos qui. Sit et odit quo enim praesentium reiciendis ut.

Tempore consequatur corrupti incidunt vero aut modi consequatur. Enim praesentium fugit molestiae. Eum consequuntur omnis aut voluptates quam libero repudiandae. Ut dolorum est suscipit dicta.

Reiciendis sed fuga voluptatem aut et quo enim fugiat. Maiores praesentium deserunt nemo dignissimos incidunt consequatur minima. Deserunt voluptas totam rerum eligendi qui dignissimos voluptatem rerum. Natus voluptatem id cupiditate tempore incidunt accusamus corporis repellat.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”