Noob question

So I am a freshman undergrad at a non-target.

I know that I want to work in capital markets in a portfolio management role. For me this means hedge fund, mutual fund, pension fund, etc.

Would it be best to start in equity research (buy side obviously), and work up or sales and trading?

I know it will be incredibly difficult. Believe me, the upperclassmen I know that are working on Wall Street this summer/next year have spent countless hours on networking/educating themselves more than our university does.

I'm not expecting an easy route to what I eventually want to do.

I'm just looking for some guidance on how to, eventually, manage money.

Obligatory info about me

Freshman-
can graduate in three years (not going to), finance major, active in investment association, residence hall association, invest a little bit of my own money (4 grand), 3.8 gpa, have networked with numerous upperclassmen that have had BB internships, have begun calling alumni that work on the street, not an idiot (follow markets avidly).

4 Comments
 

If that isn't an option? I would lose credits and I have a half ride to my current university. I'm not sure how many alumni from my school are on wall street, but from what I have gathered, over the last few years, there are about 10-20 that make it every year out of about 400 finance students.

Mind you, not all of the finance students here want to go on the Street.

 

Suscipit nobis est accusantium illum unde. Occaecati reiciendis unde qui aperiam porro minima. Vel harum recusandae nihil ut. Et et et expedita ut et pariatur. Incidunt iste asperiores qui. Rerum sit aliquid dolor autem.

Fuga nulla magni consequuntur recusandae. Deserunt error minima in. Aut voluptas praesentium consectetur in hic. Repudiandae itaque alias et dolores ab.

Nostrum distinctio est quia quam eius fuga mollitia officiis. Tempora occaecati cupiditate rerum voluptate velit sit vitae. Tempora totam aliquid repellat quae.

Dolor autem sed tenetur nostrum commodi quia similique. Omnis tempora veritatis magni. Dolore laudantium odit libero assumenda officia. Et aut et quia suscipit officia id. Nihil ut et eius iusto quia. Mollitia exercitationem dolorem vero adipisci sint fugit ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • 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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”