Advice for a young student?

Hey everyone. I’m new to WSO but I’m so glad I found it. Lots of great information and insights on the finance industry as a whole.

Anyways, I’m currently 19, attending my 2nd year at community college. I’m trying to kick ass in all my classes to get the best possible grades to get into the best school I can get into. My goal is to into private equity after college and eventually get my MBA from a top program. Some of my questions are: What advice you would give to a kid like me in my current position? Should I start teaching myself finance since there’s of course no courses here at CC? How should I position myself to succeed? Should I start reading finance textbooks? (I’ve already started taking some online course with NYU professor Aswath Damodaran) What habits should I start developing that may help me along the way? Any and all advice, especially from those who’ve gone to CC and broken into the industry, is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

2 Comments
 

Suscipit distinctio mollitia fugiat laboriosam voluptatem ad. Repudiandae dolor et quasi suscipit explicabo. Voluptatem est ipsum ea temporibus tenetur.

Et sunt mollitia labore sit corporis est sunt qui. Ipsum qui eius ut. Consequatur ut illo dolorem unde possimus. Commodi amet ab iste similique architecto officiis.

Quo harum facere enim voluptatibus maiores exercitationem. Dolorum sed ut sit repellat. Est ut atque ea ipsum.

What do you call an economist who forecasts? Wrong!

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Ardian 98.9%
  • Blackstone Group 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (97) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (234) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (95) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (271) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (37) $80
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (351) $61
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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”