Yet another 'Where do I stand?' - UK Edition
Firstly, let me start by saying that I live, study and work in the UK, if that makes a difference to recruitment or career paths and the like.
From the ages of 16 to 19, I drifted through the education system, doing the bare minimum necessary to pass with above average marks. When I was 18 and had to choose a degree for University, I chose Computer Science not because I particularly loved it, but because it was one of the things I was absolutely certain that I would be good at.
In my second year of University (a semi-target), I wised up a little bit and started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. While I still wasn't sure, I realised the importance of work experience so I ended up doing an Internship at a Big 4 doing something akin to IT Risk Assurance.
I've just graduated from my first degree with a 2:1 and have decided to do a Master's next year at a target Business School. The course is called Business Analytics and is mid way between a Quant and Management degree.
This summer, I scored an Internship at a BB, again doing IT. I just had my mid-Internship review and it seems fairly likely that I will be given a full time offer for next year after I finish my Master's. However, I know for sure I don't want to be a code monkey for life.
So when it comes time to make a decision, what do I do?
- Should I take the offer to do a job I know for sure that I can do damn well, with good job security, relatively easy hours and earn decent money?
- Should I try to score a FO position, with little certainty on just about everything but making a lot more money? Would it even be possible for me to score a FO position, given my background and skills?
I would appreciate any input you guys have, or any advice. I'm still a work-in-progress, so I don't really know if doing what I 'want' to do is necessarily the wise choice. Thanks in advance.
Summary: Undergraduate Degree: Semi-target Computer Science with a 2:1. Postgraduate (expected): Target Business School. GRE: 720/800 Quant, 500/800 Verbal. Internships: 1 SA at Big 4 doing IT Risk, 1 SA at BB doing IT.
Wishful bump.
Have you already been admitted to the target business school? If so, then you won't be completely out of the running for a FO spot.
That being said, it would be easier for us to give advice if you just:
a.) told us what two schools you are referring to. As long as you don't act like an asshole on this site, then there's no real danger of getting in trouble. Plus, there aren't nearly enough Brits on this site for your identity to be found out.
and/or
b.) posted a detailed resume.
Thanks for the reply. Guess I'm not really risking too much by revealing more. I graduated from the University of Nottingham and I have been admitted to the University of Warwick for my business course. Not sure if this is important, but the course is not an MBA but an MSc.
I'd rather not post my resume, having had a good look at it, it'd be quite hard for me to censor everything I need to without making the resume pointless to read.
If you're currently at Warwick and you got a 2:1 at Nottingham, then you're not out of the running should you decide to go for a FO position. As everyone else will tell you, just network, network, and network while you're at Warwick.
Thanks for the reassurance San Franciscan, it's that time in my life where I have to make decisions that affect the next 50 years and it's hard to know whether or not I'm doing the right thing!
As far as networking goes, how do I do that as a student? I checked for Alumni databases while I was at Nottingham, neither the Careers Services, Student Centre or even the Investment Society maintained one. I'm not entirely sure if this is just Nottingham or common throughout England. If I met some people at networking events who I feel I built a rapport with, is it acceptable to ask them for a business card to get in touch for the future or is that too forward?
Also, as far as networking goes, would it be kosher to sniff around for an internal transfer in my current internship, or is that too risky?
Thanks again.
congratulations on getting into the Warwick MSc Bus Analytics program. Also, a 2:1 at Notts is nothing to sneeze at. I'd say you'd be in the running for FO IB gigs IF you had a prior finance internship. Unfortunately, your CV likely screams IT guy, and recruiters might typecast you as an IT guy. So, as mentioned above, what you need to do is be proactive: get top marks at Warwick, get involved in any finance-related clubs there are, and network.
Thanks AAW, good to know. I guess my biggest problem is the whole networking thing. It's still a mystery to me how to do that well, what's off limits/unacceptable etc. More reading to do I guess.
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