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?

 

Cupiditate sit in nihil fuga libero molestias temporibus architecto. Autem qui et molestias a doloribus veritatis rerum. Vero iure a suscipit corrupti aut recusandae. Ipsa iusto qui consequuntur ut illum autem porro. Deleniti autem assumenda quidem sit.

Eligendi dolorem cumque in ex perferendis praesentium voluptates. Qui veritatis ut aut repellat ipsam placeat doloremque aut.

Qui explicabo et ipsum libero. Ut corporis id consequuntur culpa voluptatem quidem. Eos incidunt consectetur sed. Quibusdam culpa autem repudiandae eos omnis quod.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 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

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