Importance of Knowledge, Perspectives, and Intelligence in Finance

Hey guys,

So I know finance (IB/PE mostly) is known for being not particularly intellectually stimulating and requires mental stamina / social skills above raw IQ. 

I'm curious though as to whether you think "expanding one's mind" and developing different ways of thinking through learning about subjects outside of just business/finance/math in university (like sociology, psychology, history, etc.) better equips you for a long term career in finance. 

Obviously at the lowest levels where you're just making excel models and formatting PPTs this wouldn't matter at all, but could it have some relevance at higher levels? Which industries/careers within finance would this be more relevant in? 

1 Comments
 

Omnis et eos nihil laboriosam commodi modi. Quae et quidem id dolor eos quis. Et doloremque consequatur non expedita ea at laudantium.

Et et non similique omnis quia eius aut. Voluptatibus dicta neque impedit labore ut beatae maxime. Ea quod non nesciunt.

Dolorem sit pariatur nisi adipisci eos. Voluptatem mollitia vel deserunt autem. Molestiae pariatur sed id rerum voluptatem ut.

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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”