Breaking into IB with a french-japanese degree

Hey guys !

I'm currently a rising junior of a dual degree between Sciences Po in France and Keio University in Japan. It's mostly social sciences and econ in Sciences Po ; Data Science, Econ and Finance in Keio.

I've wanted to enter the field of IB for a long time and I've been quite struggling to know how to approach and prioritize my learning and training. Indeed, on one hand, my curriculum at Sciences Po, so far, has mostly given me either theoretical knowledge in econ, or practical knowledge in fields quite distanced from finance and investment (Public Policy, IR, politics...). Otherwise, I feel like my studies at Keio come a bit late to compete with students from more specialized courses around the world...

Regarding internship, it's still not that bright. Since Brexit, it has been very difficult to land IB internships in London, and western european employers tend not to offer internships before Master's level. Same thing can be said about japan, in which internships tend to target japanese student in view of long term employment.

Provided that, I'm very lost, and I don't really know how to proceed in such an atypical situation. I've managed to land an internship in a close field (management consulting), yet I don't feel like it would necessarily help me to break into IB in the long run. I don't know if I should completely change my course of studies, if I'll have to get a master degree, or should completly abandon the idea of IB. I feel like I'm stuck.

I would be forever grateful if anybody here has any insights or advice regarding my situation !

You pretty much answered your own question. There is little chance you will land a position in Japan unless you’re Japanese / speak the language fluently.

If you want to target IB in Europe, you’ll need a masters degree, and ideally one that prepares you well enough for interviews + places well in banks you’re targeting.

Sorry to confirm there’s no real workaround here.

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