Land FT Offer Without Graduating

Is it possible to land an entry level full-time role without graduating/not completing bachelors?

I completed an investment banking internship at a BB (GS/MS/JPM) during summer of 2021 with no return offer. I've never liked or wanted to be in IB, my passion has always been in markets and I always wanted to be a trader. However, as a non-target, my options were very limited. I managed to land that internship and took it without hesitation, with plans of eventually moving to S&T or something. While I didn't mess up or leave a bad impression or anything, I guess my relative lack of enthusiasm for IB was reflected in my work and there were simply other summer analysts more deserving, so no return offer.

Having a very prestigious internship under my belt (esp. for non-target) and no terrible reasons for not getting a return (perhaps even a decent spin since I want to pursue trading), I was in a solid position at the time, similar to many others with no return offers. All I had to do was spend the year networking hard and I'd land something good by graduation.

However, a unique personal situation arose and I took time off from school. The situation is very understandable for taking time off, but I took a lot more time off than I should have which perhaps isn't as understandable, and to make matters worse when I first got back I failed some classes. This has all pushed me back from graduating in spring 2022 to either fall 2023/winter 2024 (thats like 5.5-6yrs of undergrad).

At this point I'm very disheartened and unsure what to do. I truly don't want to wait 2 more years to graduate at this point and I just want to start working. Like I mentioned, I passionately want to pursue a market facing role, preferably as a sellside trader/path to trader, but idc at this point whether it be that, prop trading, sales, or equity research. My ultimate goal down the line is to move to a hedge fund. I feel like I am more than qualified for an entry level role despite no diploma. I know for a fact I wont learn anything new thats relevant for the remainder of my non-target liberal arts education that I have not already taught myself over 4 years. At the risk of sounding hubristic or arrogant, I know my technical knowledge of markets (specifically equities, equity derivatives, and fixed income) is significantly greater than what is wanted for an entry level role and I can easily display this during interviews. I truly believe at the right seat I can add a lot of value for my firm. In the most pragmatic terms, given a baseline set of knowledge, skills, and talent, a paper diploma should not matter to firms, but rather how much value an individual can add. Given what I have so far, is there any way whatsoever to break in without completing my diploma if I can adequately highlight my knowledge as an offset to obtaining the degree? Or is having the bachelors an absolute must with no room for negotiation and I should just put my head down and continue my bachelors for two more years. I'm open to any suggestions or alternatives I haven't mentioned.

Thank you to everyone who read my post, this is my first post and any insight would be appreciated.

 

Quibusdam aut id et dolorum sed. Tempore ad harum ut ipsa ut in non. Et et minus beatae earum hic molestiae et. Sunt laudantium tempore omnis voluptatibus et nemo ad ad.

Animi cupiditate voluptatem laboriosam unde ipsam non sed. Blanditiis et sint officiis iste. Qui ut vero quo deserunt sit. Voluptatibus odio temporibus aperiam aperiam sit. Aut nisi atque quos hic possimus ad accusantium.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (85) $262
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (65) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (198) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
pudding's picture
pudding
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”