Student wondering about industry options and entry

Hi all,

I'm a 1st year commerce student looking at my options into and throughout the CANADIAN industry. 

Firstly, what are certain things I can do during my undergraduate that will boost my hirability? Other than the typical internship during penultimate year, what factors should I be paying attention to? Example, what should my target GPA be? Will my Alma mater be considered? How important are extracurriculars? What other factors are critical for landing a job in the industry? 

Second, what are the different paths into and within the industry? Are direct entries common for those graduating in a non-target school with less than a 3.5 GPA? Not that this would be my case, but if somehow it were, would this make direct entry impossible? If it does, how can I enter? By working at a retail bank for a few years?.... In terms of career progression, what kind of variations are there? Of course I've heard of the classic IB to PE scenario, but would T&S transition to PE aswell? Would IB transition to asset management? Then, what would AM further transition to?Are there paths that lead to dead ends? It would be easier understand all of this if someone had some sort of diagram of all the pathways. 

Last, what are the typical entry level salaries of the different paths? How about mid to senior level position of different industries? How do the hours differ for each industry?

Hope this post wasn't too confusing....

1 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Accusantium nulla rerum eum aut. Mollitia fugiat eveniet blanditiis facilis. Reprehenderit qui consectetur ea corrupti voluptatum debitis omnis. Facilis dolor praesentium eligendi molestiae id sequi.

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%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 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 (79) $150
  • 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

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...”