My dad is a plumber. What should I do?

Think of it this way, would you rather lie and probably be called out on it later?

I can see where you're coming from. I don't think this forum is giving you an accurate idea of the demographics in banking.

if anything I think it will make people respect the fact that you came from a humble background...

This is a dumb question. My dad does a job that's a little similar to that standard but who the fuck cares. It just shows that you have the ability to break into a field without the help of family.

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Way to have respect for you Father, man.

I agree with mschutzy, but to people you don't know very well, you could say he's in Industrial Maintenance

Not a big deal, plenty of people on Wall Street who came from blue collar backgrounds, nothing wrong at all.

if i was your dad i'd kick your ass so bad. him plumbing got you into a position to be at that interview.

Nobody is going to ask what your "old man" does in that manner of speaking (Wall Street is conservative but not archaic) and if it weren't for your plumber dad, you probably wouldn't be where you are today

Hilarious Question:

You should be thanking your father everyday for working hard so that you can be in the position that you are.

I think its okay to tell the truth. If you don't want to say that, just say he works in the home improvements business. Don't be very specific although I think its best to tell the truth.

Can he fix my downstairs toilet?

Very funny Q, you should be proud of your father.

If your dad came across your computer, he'd be justified in stopping to pay for your education

hey plumbers make a lot of money so thats good!!!

Similar to what others have said here: be proud of where you're coming from. If someone gives you shit or looks down at you since you come from a less affluent background than they came from, fuck them.

actually, if my dad was an MD at Goldman, I think I'd be more likely to keep it private than if my dad was a plumber. nothing wrong with that at all. it should just make you say it with more produness for what you have accomplished without coming from a banking background..

I was in a similar situation, my dad is a cesspool truck driver.

When your interviewer asks that, tell them your dad is the head of M&A at Goldman Sachs.

If you're dad is head of M&A at GS and you're still going through the channels everyone else has to go through, they give you alot of respect. I got 4 offers, including one from Goldman. Works every time.

Good luck with that.

I've never ONCE been asked "what does your dad do/what do your parents do?" while doing this job. It's just not something people really talk about.

For some reason this actually was a topic of discussion back in high school when everyone knew everyone else's parents, but it wasn't as big a deal in college and I don't even know what co-workers' parents do now.

If you ARE concerned about it, just say, "He runs his own business." Which is true if he's an independent plumber. You just don't have to say what kind of business or how many people. :)

This is definitely a joke, but no one will ask you what your old man does. If you have a parent worth knowing, everyone will already know what they do (ie Clinton's daughter, any CEO/MD offspring, if you happen to be a Bush).

Btw, blue collar ----> uber-white collar just shows your dad did a good job, let him know it.

You could say he works in "Waste Disposal" and then if they push you any further, you could stammer a little, look down at the ground as if you can't meet the interviewers gaze and then reluctantly admit that your father is ..... a contract killer, but that you really, really can't give them any more information...

I think this would see a swift end to any questions regarding this line of work.

Everyone reread smuguy's post.

by smuguy97 Certified User(Senior Gorilla, 903 Banana Points Points) on 4/17/08 at 12:24pm chuckles02912 wrote:

If your dad came across your computer, he'd be justified in stopping to pay for your education

What exactly leads you to believe his dad is paying for his education?

In any case, I would be inclined to cut the kid some slack. It's not like he's saying that he is ashamed of his dad's profession, but rather that he's concerned about how others might respond. Being self conscious about one's own background doesn't make someone a bad person.

Honestly, the question doesn't seem any different than one posed by someone nervous to admit their father is the CEO of the company.

>>Really, I just want to know how to handle this potentially awkward situation. A lot of people in banking come from affluence. I really don't think it's a stretch to say that bankers with well known/wealthy parents have a better natural network, which could easily lead to faster promotion and more success in this industry. If you're from such a background, think about it: you have family friends that could lead to M&A deals down the road. My family isn't well connected or wealthy. I don't my father's successes/failures to impact my career more than it already has. I think I'm being reasonable. The same holds true in a lot of situations; in an interview, you aren't going to willingly divulge information that would hurt your chances of getting the offer, right? The same applies for after you start working. Why should I willingly divulge information that could potentially hurt my career? I'm just trying to figure out how to handle it.

nuff said

I was asked during a superday what my father did for a living. Before I had a chance to answer one of the interviewers jumped to conclusions and said, "He was a doctor, right?"

I just smiled and said no. Then explained to them that my father retired at 45 after owning a business.

Weird situation. Probably just trying to get to know me, but extremely irrelevant to whether or not I can build models.

Truthfully, I wouldn't worry about it unless he is very short, wears overalls, eats mushrooms to grow and his name is Mario. As long as that doesn't describe him, you should be just fine.

No son of Mario would ever make it through drug screening.

is not a bad one, but one that is rarely asked. The only instances I've seen it asked were MDs who wanted to get to know an analyst better personally (and usually it comes up in the context of where the person grew up, etc.).

I see your point about the networking thing. We lost a deal to another BB because the CFO of the PE shop had a son at the rival firm. The kid can say he hooked up the connection, the firm gets about 5-10mm in fees (pretty large deal) and the kid gets a pat on the back and probably a couple of brownie points.

Like other people said above, don't lie. And if really bothers you that much, make up a nice euphemism.

Nobody cares that your dad is a plumber unless you smell of the sewage.

I don't think anyone is going to care. But, if anyone looks down on you for it, wtf.

Also, can anyone explain how my dad should be credited for my success/lack thereof? He stopped doing my math and English homework in high school, and only wrote like one or two of my college papers.

unless this thread is satirical in nature, it just proves that the recruiting process is a joke.

how someone dumb enough to ask a question like this on an online messageboard could get an IB offer is beyond me

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"its the running joke now, we now have fair trade with china so they send us poisoned sea food and we send them fraudulent securities."

clearly satirical.

Who cares that your dad is a plumber, he brought you into this world and you should be proud of him, I'm sure he is proud of you. Besides nobody cares what your father does.

Just tell them your dad is the most respected pipe layer in all the county....

Just "this side of the Mississippi."

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Why would it matter anyway? I don't think it will be asked. But I don't think it would be so hard to tell that your dad is a plumber.

omg dude what ever you do dont tell them about ur dad!.........are you kidding me? is this thread serious?

you realize this thread is 3 years old

I can't believe no one has brought up the most important question. How good of a plumber is your dad? Did he get his plumber's education at a target? Or did he have to network his way in?