Computer Science to Investment Banking

Hey everyone,

I'm a computer science major at a target and am going into sophomore year. I've decided I want to do investment banking, and ultimately go to a hedge fund. I was wondering what kind of internship I should go for my sophomore year. I know that IBD SA positions are mainly for juniors, but then what kind of experience should I aim for as a sophomore? I could get a software engineering position, and that might help because I'd have a better knowledge of the tech sector, but are there any better options?

Thank you in advance, any help is greatly appreciated.

5 Comments
 
QuantumRainmaker

Hey everyone,

I'm a computer science major at a target and am going into sophomore year. I've decided I want to do investment banking, and ultimately go to a hedge fund. I was wondering what kind of internship I should go for my sophomore year. I know that IBD SA positions are mainly for juniors, but then what kind of experience should I aim for as a sophomore? I could get a software engineering position, and that might help because I'd have a better knowledge of the tech sector, but are there any better options?

Thank you in advance, any help is greatly appreciated.

If you want to do investment banking, and not say trading, then you should change majors.

Computer science adds little value in banking.

 
justin88 QuantumRainmaker:

Hey everyone,
I'm a computer science major at a target and am going into sophomore year. I've decided I want to do investment banking, and ultimately go to a hedge fund. I was wondering what kind of internship I should go for my sophomore year. I know that IBD SA positions are mainly for juniors, but then what kind of experience should I aim for as a sophomore? I could get a software engineering position, and that might help because I'd have a better knowledge of the tech sector, but are there any better options?
Thank you in advance, any help is greatly appreciated.

If you want to do investment banking, and not say trading, then you should change majors.

Computer science adds little value in banking.

He said that he's at a target school. If this is the case, then he's fine if he wants to stick with CS.

 

I know Tower recruits at my school, but they pay the same as any other tech company. I'm going to use investment banking as a way to a hedge fund, because the only other way I see is perhaps go straight to Two Sigma/Citadel/DE Shaw, but again I want to have input on investments and not only develop applications all day. From what I've seen (correct me if I'm wrong), a lot of funds are looking for developers, but cap there salaries and reserve the larger bonuses for the investment professionals and traders. While I like CS, I am very interested in the markets, and want to partake in the investment side of things.

 
Best Response

Amet quia provident voluptas aut nihil. Ex voluptatum ipsa quas qui harum soluta autem. Ipsa sit eos quam iusto et suscipit.

Praesentium ut earum suscipit repellat. Ut rerum placeat nulla ut rerum sed. Tenetur veniam et officiis necessitatibus ipsa rerum. Minus expedita possimus atque fugiat qui. Atque aspernatur sapiente error. Quae dolore provident dolorem consequatur aut dolore fugit.

Iste reiciendis molestiae aut natus. Architecto itaque dolorem ratione consectetur et. Maxime explicabo ipsam consequatur harum repudiandae perspiciatis. Dicta dolores et quia assumenda sed eos est. Officia sequi est quod consequatur et. Maxime nulla veniam iusto autem qui.

make it hard to spot the general by working like a soldier

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $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

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...”