Hi from me, but also a quick question?

Hi everybody! I've been lurking on WSO for a while now and it's definitely been a great help for learning about the industry. I'm going to be a freshman next year at a target (top 10 in US), and I was just wondering if not having a background in finance in high school would hurt me at all? When I entered hs I wanted to do law, and so a lot of my extracirricular's (debate, law firm internships, politics) was concentrated in that area. Now I'm not entirely sure, but I do enjoy learning more and more about finance as the days go on My job for this summer was also canceled, so now I have to quickly try and apply for everything possible, including potentially some internships at small-scale banks. Am I just overstressing, or does not having that fundamental background potentially negative for say, future ib internships?

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Relax. You are going to be fine.

There is no way you know what career you are going to enjoy at this point in your life. I am sure it will change a few times (at least). Additionally, college is the opportunity to learn and explore a bit so you can learn about yourself, what you enjoy, and what you want to do in life.

Not having experience isn’t an issue at all. But I would also say don’t go into college thinking finance is 100% it for you, you’ll miss out on great learning opportunities.

You are in a great spot at a top 10 university, you’ll have plenty of opportunities if you do well. Being at a top school also gives you a bit more freedom to study why you truly enjoy, as the recruiting there will be strong (and you might find out you enjoy other career paths).

 

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