Prospective Monkey from Target School Needs Advice

Hey guys,

Background Info I graduated from a target school (HYPSM) in '17 with a degree in CS and worked for a startup as a SWE for a year. I realized that wasn't what I wanted to do a few months in, so I went back to my target school for a masters in CS where I'm doing my thesis in the business school. For ~7 months now I've also been working part time for a VC firm doing sourcing and due diligence. This summer I'm most likely going to be working at a growth equity firm doing a mix of due diligence and quant work.

Plans I turn 24 this summer and graduate at the end of this year in December, so I'm planning on preparing now and applying for FT jobs this June-Sep. I think I'm interested in VC/Tech PE long term. For FT jobs I'm interested in BB TMT Ibanking (Goldman, JP Morgan), Tech focused Consulting groups in MBB (Particularly Bain), and APM Programs at big tech companies (Google, Uber). There's a chance that I could get a FT offer from the VC firm I'm working at or the Growth Firm I'm interning at but I'm not counting on those as they usually don't hire new grads.

What I need advice on I realize I'm at a disadvantage here because I don't have past Ibanking, Consulting, or Product experience. On the positive side, I do go to a target school for a lot of these firms. I have a solid amount of time to prepare/study - about 4-5 months, but am curious what advice you guys have for me given my background and goals. Should I not look at Ibanking because it's unrealistic as I don't have a past SA position and just focus on nailing a MBB consulting role? Please let me know your guys' thoughts.

Thanks!

1 Comments
 

Ut et quis sit odio ut ad quos praesentium. Aliquam eum quaerat atque aliquid ut. Aut nesciunt adipisci sequi et commodi.

Rerum nemo consequatur vel. Totam aut dicta facilis eaque quo atque adipisci.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • 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 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
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
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...”