Advice Needed: 24yo with start-up experience, no degree. Here's my story:

Greetings, Monkeys

####My background:
**- Mid 20s
- WSO Lurker (You guys are simply amazing. So much to read and learn here.)
- IB Diploma
- Army (2.5 years, NCO)
- Chose not to go to university
- Joined a startup. Did equity research and technical analysis research (recommended trading ideas)
- Co-Founded Startup #2 and did sales for a consulting firm (they taught technical analysis, which I learnt a little, too, and recommended more trades to their trading fellas/students)
- Worked essentially for free, because #loyalty but it didn't reward me. I have been on survival mode for 6 years. It's tiring. But I learnt a lot.

*Above companies are small men teams (less than 10)
- Each are sub-300k in valuation, but I believe I have learnt some soft and hard skills as most of the funds/sales were brought in by me and my team that I trained. After a while, my dumbass realized that the direction of the above companies were not to my liking, and that the culture was simply not for me. I was a young sucker to the "Business Leader/Forbes 30 Under 30 Nominee/Topclass Cunt"

####What's To Come:
- Stay in Singapore, with an internship doing portfolio construction & management at a boutique/startup
(My friends do not realize that they are God's gift to me, and I am lucky to be good at making friends)
- Fly back home to a university in Hong Kong (CUHK)
(I'm a citizen of SG and a PR of HK, so studying in both are options, however, I prefer HK because my father isn't doing too well health wise and I've spent too much time away. I'm a momma's boy.)
- Networking my ass off while working at a bar + studying and interning at any valuable place.
- Start (or try) for a BO role and then working from bottom up/lateraling into FO (is this possible?)

####Concerns:
- I feel lost as fuck. Did I waste 4 years of my life? Would university have given me a comparable experience?
- I'm 24. By the time I'm done I'll be considered a 28yo Fresh Grad with work experience. It worries me.
- My work experience. Does it add any value on paper?
- Is it advisable to get a BO job at a top tier bank and then work my way up?
(If I'm lucky enough to get it through a friend)
- The way I see it, FO jobs are highly unrealistic (nothing is impossible but 99.9%) - What are my options?
- I feel that AM is what I digest easiest, but I'd like to know what else can fit me.

####To end it off,
I want to dive into this world of challenges and meet all the amazing people and deconstruct/simplify the world of business and finance. I just want to find out how everything works, learn, do it better, and then educate/help anyone else. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I believe that I'm not the only one.

I welcome all challenges, monkey shit, and critiques.
I will answer any and all of your questions.
Be as harsh as you can. My ass is ready.

On another note, I would like to thank you all for reading this and in advance for replying. I'll be happy to pour any of you a drink when I'm back working at Lan Kwai, or we can hit the gym for a brolift. (Powerlifting tips also welcome, too, might be competing next year)

I'd love to hear any and all of your experiences as well. I can't thank this community enough. I will do my best to contribute in the future when I have more under my belt.

Thank You.

1 Comments
 

Numquam necessitatibus fuga odio. In consequatur accusantium perspiciatis corrupti facere. Inventore sunt id cupiditate libero eveniet aut consequuntur. Molestiae veniam sapiente dolorem ut.

Distinctio consequuntur sint ducimus officiis ut enim. Ad quisquam amet minima similique et accusamus magnam. Eum quis voluptas facilis quis. Quo quis tempora minus. Non quae iste qui ipsum. Aut rerum nostrum ea saepe qui earum repudiandae.

Aut eos adipisci voluptatum enim. Quas et ad enim mollitia sint maxime. Corporis voluptatum ad deserunt officia repudiandae. Libero sunt ea vel id sint illo quas possimus.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”