Interning @ 38.

For better or worse, I've always appreciated what appears to be honesty in these forums. So, here goes.

I'm a 38 y/o military vet, graduated with a bachelor's in finance three years ago. Life's situations required me to remain at a job where schedule flexibility suited not only finishing my education but other private family matters, both considerations of which are no longer a factor. Now, here I am, practicing LBO's in excel at a fundamentally basic level while reading to garner an understanding of the creativity behind debt instruments to meet funding needs. Admittedly, and laugh at this all you must as what I'm about to describe is a very basic concept, but when I started manipulating inputs of an LBO and being patient to understand the drivers in the model, it just gave me an appreciation as to why the right debt in the right context is extremely valuable. This made me want to know more.  

All of this to say, the learning is great and all, but I want to apply it. I have ordered a case study book and look forward to plugging away. However, with all this interest and curiosity, in the back of my mind I am thinking it's possibly too late. I don't necessarily need to have a position in PE to make my life complete but it would be great to do something in which I'm genuinely interested. Even the lending space would be great. Is interning out of the question at this stage in the game? 

All input welcome. Happy Holidays all. 

2 Comments
 

Many banks have "Returnship" programs for people who have gaps in their work history or who want to make a career change. I don't know if getting an MBA is out of the question for you but that's usually the easiest way to change career paths. You can also try to build a network and land an opportunity through connections and then grow your professional experience from there. 

 

Necessitatibus magnam possimus numquam impedit nesciunt illo possimus. Earum eum eius dolor quia.

Voluptatum quo quis rerum rerum rem. Inventore quae enim vel sit dolor. Expedita tempora et error et quia sunt beatae. Ut ipsa necessitatibus quia. Sit et totam suscipit adipisci aliquam qui eos itaque. Sint cum porro id non culpa. Hic quidem sapiente repudiandae exercitationem ut possimus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”