Interested in the financial sector, but still unsure of what to do!
Hey everybody, I'm new here. I've been prowling your articles recently, and have been interested in pursuing a career in finance for a while. Yes I'm doing it for the money. Yes I know not everyone makes millions; even the prospect of $150K when most people struggle to find work, and the median income is only $51,017 (2012 stat, CNN) is pretty stellar, and the prospects of an analyst (hours aside) look like interesting work to me.
A little background:
I've always been interested in all things quantifiable, especially the maths and sciences. There isn't really a thing there that I don't like, except the tedium, but I could always just make a macro, or better, write something in C# to assist with it.
I'm (sadly) in a 2 year because I was up for 36 hours prior to my SAT and slept through part of the math and got like a 480 or something on the section, and generally knew jack shit about re-taking it or anything, and had figured deadlines had passed (I wanted to go to Baruch), so I'll probably FINISH there as a finance major.
A few questions:
-How horrible are the hours REALLY? What's the average, and how often do these terrifying 100 hour weeks happen? I realize anything I REALLY want to do has them (medicine, finance, software design), but what should I expect?
-How great is the pay REALLY? What should I expect my 1st, 3rd, 5th, 10th year, etc?
-How's the environment? I imagine it's pretty busy/energetic, which I like. I hate places where you aren't always busy, so you either sit and do nothing, or frantically search for ways to stay busy so you don't look lazy (me).
-When should I start looking for internships, and where? I'm still a first year undergrad.
-Any ideas where an 18 year old who's smart and motivated can find part time work? Everything from the Apple Store to Burger King has turned my down even after I listed 2 years experience etc. Of course it was a lie, but it was a lie supported by evidence (my "employer" vouching), and listing a further legitimate year as a free-lance personal trainer (no cert).
Anything else you think I should know, let 'a rip. I look forward to getting to know you all!
