What positions should I be targeting?

A little bit about me first -- I'm a sophmore math and economics major at a target school with a high (>3.9) GPA. I'm currently looking at quant research/trading internships possibly for this summer, but I'm not sure if that is exactly where I should be looking. In addition to my academic background, I am an athlete (read: strong quantitative skills but not a nerd) and have pretty strong leadership positions on campus despite this being only my second year here.

I'd prefer to work in a quantitative environment, but from what I hear, quants aren't necessarily well-regarded on wall street, and the future outlook is uncertain. I feel like I can target positions that require "soft skills" and leadership positions that might turn out to be more lucrative, but then I won't get the intellectual challenge of quantitative analysis. What do you guys think I should do?

4 Comments
 

I know it's not the general view, but why not use internships as a feel for the type of job you're looking for. Try doing a trading internship this summer and then next do an IBD one and see which one you enjoy more. I think if it's possible it'd be the ideal thing to do.

 

@lime1945

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

@n1cktm

Why do you think Fixed Income would be a good fit?

 

Est qui facere repudiandae et voluptas illo. Animi ipsum neque dicta officiis quasi. Eos alias sint quia fugiat pariatur et voluptatem.

Enim eos voluptas dolores. Et optio consequatur et impedit nisi provident reiciendis.

Laudantium et similique maiores quo amet vitae officiis. Ratione sint tempora omnis dolores animi totam quis.

Aliquam nulla culpa quam ut aliquid. Iusto nam est et et voluptatum soluta eos. Corporis non beatae ad amet iusto ducimus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (27) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 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

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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”