Confessions of a Psycho UG Junior
As I begin to write this post in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I still wonder from time to time, “What the f*** are you doing?”
In the upcoming year, I am proud to say that I will be a rising junior at one of the best undergraduate business schools in the US and simultaneously will be tormented by the deathly on-campus recruiting (OCR) process for IB summer internships.
While my fellow prisoners are racking up as much finance internship experience as possible at investment banks, PE, and such, I am working at a very small startup while feeling lost in a country where I cannot even speak the language (four years of Spanish in high school just doesn’t cut it).
Indeed, my friends either look at me as a daring adventurer or a naïve fool. But hey, you never know what kind of opportunities life brings you when you are least expecting right?
Following the end of my sophomore year, I felt like I wanted to get out of everything, try new things, and face new challenges and experiences I have never met before. Moreover, I feared that if I do not go on my adventure now, I would not be able to so for a while after I enter my professional career. With that thought lingering in the back of my head, I ended up rejecting two finance internship opportunities back home, packed my bags, and flew over to BA.
After approximately five out of my nine weeks here, I have fallen in love with this city, the people and my internship opportunity. I have travelled across the nation to visit wineries, walked boldly into Argentine bars to make friends with people who can barely converse with me in Spanish or English, and helped push forward a startup from its seed stage. The experience, undeniably, has matured me both professionally and personally. Meeting people from different backgrounds and working with passionate entrepreneurs have given me eye-opening experiences.
While this is true, I would be lying if I were never hesitant about my time here; as expected, I am still overwhelmed by my fear that I may not have the best shot at excellent IB junior summer internships next year. While my friends are modeling and analyzing, I am networking, eating steak, drinking wine and immersing myself in a new country. The thought of falling behind my friends sometimes worry me but at one point, I have decided to turn that thought around and utilize this experience to my advantage.
If there is one advice I would like offer to others, it is, don’t be afraid to take sufficient time to explore yourself. Step out of the mundane life to make something out of the time you have. After all, assessing yourself before venturing out to fulfill your aspirations should be encouraged at all times. Most importantly, having fear and worrying about the future is natural. At least for me, I have made a decision to embrace that fear and use this time to explore the unknowns by allowing myself to experience the diversity. By the end of my nine weeks in Argentina, I am hoping to take the valuable lessons I have learned here back home and apply them in the future. Who knows? Maybe the recruiters will like that too. In the end, no time is wasted if you use it wisely.
What do you think?
Different people like different things
People with a weak (non-leader) character tend to end up in fields such as finance where the approach to getting a job is very structured (you just have to check of boxes essentially) and they can just follow it. You can be a goal getter, but have a weak character. Many people just don't have a sincere interest in the industry (and that's fine), but you have to do something with your life.
If people figure out, like you, that they would love doing something else, then why not do it? GO FOR IT!
Why do you want to do IB? It's the antithesis of what you are doing right now, and you seem to be enjoying yourself.
Thanks for your note! There are a lot of reasons why, but I am primarily interested in entering/possibly staying in the finance industry for a long time (hopefully). As such, I was hoping to get the crash-course in knowledge at IBD. On a different note, I took classes in financial analysis in addition to my other finance internships and did enjoy the work...though I am sure the intensity was nothing like IB. Still trying to figure out everything, but I think it's the first step I want to take at least at this point in time! If you have any recommendations or comments, let me know!
It's a great experience to bring up during interviews. It will distinguish you from others. Work on your Spanish while there as well since it's value added.
You're in a great spot. I was in Spain for 7 months last year and it has hands-down been the most talked-about topic in any of my fit interviews. I'm absolutely making my way to Argentina (Buenos Aires, Patagonia) in the next few years as I have family there. Enjoy it, that's one hell of an experience.
You'll be fine. I think the most important thing for you to do for IB recruiting is to demonstrate that you have a strong interest in finance. Some people might do that with a post-sophomore year finance internship, but it is certainly not a requirement. Try getting involved with a finance club at school or pursue some sort of part-time internship during the school year. As long as you can show that you're pursuing a passion, then your work in Argentina will be view as a positive. Working with entrepreneurs in a foreign country shows initiative and boldness, and you've likely gained experience that sets you apart from your peers.
^^^ yep...
First of excellent self reflection and insight. Secondly, though im not a recruiter I would think the experienced and lessons you have gained from this trip may be even more valuable than some finance or related internships, especially if you can convey the things you've learned and how you've matured in an effective and applicable manner. I think it it really brave heading to a foreign country for an experience like this. Good luck with recruiting!
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