Transition from professional athlete 2 business

I recently retired from professional hockey and am looking to obtain positions in finance, specifically with IB's, but would be willing to start elsewhere. I have a degree from a non-target school, which I know is already strike one, but have qualities and leadership experience that I believe are second to none. The search has gotten to the point of desperation and has been immensely frustrating from the beginning. Does anyone have any constructive advice or would be willing offer any opinions/serve as a mentor/etc? Thanks...

8 Comments
 

Just retired myself. I may not be able to mentor you as I just am starting my professional career now but if you have any questions I'd be happy to help.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 
CruncharooJust retired myself. I may not be able to mentor you as I just am starting my professional career now but if you have any questions I'd be happy to help.

How did you initially go about the process and what suggestions/recommendations do you have for trying to earn an opportunity? Thanks

 
Best Response
Rapps
CruncharooJust retired myself. I may not be able to mentor you as I just am starting my professional career now but if you have any questions I'd be happy to help.

How did you initially go about the process and what suggestions/recommendations do you have for trying to earn an opportunity? Thanks

Initially I networked with fellow hockey alum from my school. I had a real good assistant coach who all the guys liked and kept up with everyone so he was my first resource. He got me in contact with the other alumni and I had a few lunches and talked to them about what they do/what they think I should do/if they knew anyone who was looking. They each gave me a couple contacts and I talked to more people. Also I got a PWM internship, even though I knew that wasn't what I wanted to do I took it to a) get a name on my resume (cause of hockey I had no professional work experience) and b) start on some licenses and show people I was serious. I also applied to almost every single job I could on my schools board/indeed/monster/etc, I spent hours and hours on there. Make sure you have someone look over your resume, people on here would be willing to critique it for you usually and that'll help a lot. Getting an interview is going to be the hardest part because once you are in there it's pretty easy to relate your professional hockey experience to the questions they ask. Once I was in the door somewhere I always got invited back, it was just getting people to meet with me that was the hardest part. This all took about 6 or so months which eventually led to me getting a FT offer about 3 weeks after I graduated (I didn't finish my degree while at university and had to go back after I got finished playing pro for 2 semesters).

Think of a couple people (alumni, coaches, boosters) you can call who you remember being really helpful and tell them that you just retired and you are want to start your next career. Also, I would do some volunteer or paid coaching for high school teams, travel, whatever you can find. This will give you some good contacts and will get you out there meeting people. Good luck and if you need any other advice PM me and I will be glad to help however I can.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 
SirBarneyHow old are you? Could make a big difference.

I'm 27. I'm struggling with how to market myself in an environment that is so experience heavy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

 

You should be reaching out to people who work in finance especially people with a hockey background. A lot of employers prefer athletes to non-athletes. You just have to prove that you're willing to work hard. You're not going to find these places unless you start calling people.

 

Veritatis rerum rerum debitis fugit debitis. Consectetur tenetur harum voluptatem et accusamus nostrum adipisci suscipit. Aut ut quo ullam itaque illum. Consequatur eum dolor dolores iste magnam et. Rerum at beatae est. Nam perspiciatis velit error alias et nisi voluptatem.

Molestiae placeat beatae quis. Voluptatem aut voluptas expedita et autem sapiente fugiat tempore. Similique perspiciatis cumque facere. Impedit ullam rerum cumque sapiente minus fugit. Et quisquam reprehenderit dolorem ut aut excepturi. Nulla aut quasi adipisci porro fugiat.

Inventore maxime debitis sed. Libero neque nostrum ipsa ratione repellat et voluptates. Facere vero accusantium amet impedit. Sapiente dignissimos dolore minima fugiat quia. Cupiditate fugiat nihil inventore animi dolore occaecati.

Quis quisquam at inventore voluptatem architecto earum sit. Debitis qui quae et tempora. Tempora et officiis ipsa cupiditate aperiam praesentium. Possimus aut rerum sunt eius error.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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...”