Breaking into Wall Street as an Older Student

Hello everyone— I wanted to get the community’s feedback on breaking into investment banking as an older student. After leaving college 5 years ago (and a whole lot of hard work), I am returning to school (at a target) in Spring 2019. I am interested in trying to break into investment banking as I have been working as an administrative assistant at a small boutique in the southeast and would like to compete for a BB/EB position as I am now going to complete my education at a top school.

I am going to be in my late 20s during my first semester and was wondering if anyone had thoughts on what it would be like being older and competing for SA/Full-time positions with kids much younger and/or if anyone has ever worked with someone much older at the intern/analyst level and has any insight on how they were viewed or if there were any issues.

I know age shouldn’t be a factor in the hiring process, but does anyone see any potential for an issue when trying to apply for a position? FYI, no wife, no kids, no other obligations that would suffer from the grueling lifestyle should I break in.

Looking forward to the feedback!

2 Comments
 

Non architecto odio nam sit quis cupiditate. Deleniti reprehenderit ut sit qui eligendi dignissimos officiis. Incidunt blanditiis consequatur voluptatibus molestias. Rerum quaerat qui architecto repellat.

Autem nemo aspernatur fugiat dicta excepturi sapiente. Assumenda quibusdam eos dolor a.

Dolorum accusantium eligendi laboriosam aut. Aspernatur nostrum voluptate dolorem sit vero corporis numquam et. Aut deserunt commodi autem maxime consequatur. Commodi temporibus quibusdam aperiam sint eos at autem est.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Guggenheim Partners No 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (23) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (81) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”