in need of reality check?

I went to a very good scottish uni but got no work experience whatsoever (just worked as a waitress during the summers, did some society committee stuff and some online work experience). I'm kinda old compared to most people looking for grad jobs (24 because I took a year off before uni to save money, did a four year history degree and have struggled to find  graduate job since graduating in 2022) so I feel like I should give up and start looking elsewhere

I've worked in receptions/admin since and did a week of shadowing at a big4 firm, in the meantime i've been developing my knowledge by reading and doing courses online through sites like this but i don't have many opportunities for networking since I'm the first in my family to graduate, although I guess I could walk around on my lunch break to chat with people). I guess my one saving grace is I live in London and I've now saved up enough that I could do an unpaid internship for a considerable amount of time (but not enough to do a masters). Anyway, I'm not really sure what to do to improve my chance aside from focusing on something else for the timebeing and then doing an MBA later

1 Comments
 

Enim inventore tempora quia fugiat aut assumenda amet perspiciatis. Vitae eos optio enim sequi illo labore sunt. Quam architecto deserunt accusantium ut. Debitis voluptatem cum ducimus cupiditate pariatur itaque architecto. Quae sed natus amet voluptatibus sed.

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

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...”