17 Year old-What can I do?

I've been looking into investment banking for the past couple of months and it seems really interesting. There is a slim chance I get into any targets, so besides that one of the most common things people say is to "start early", but what am I actually "starting early"? Is it a good idea to start reaching out for coffee chats in as a 17 year old? Like would an analyst/associate even want to talk to someone my age? Should I touch some grass and enjoy my senior year? I'm just curious for what my plan should before I graduate. 

35 Comments
 

If you want to gain knowledge about the industry to judge whether to pursue it, I think reaching out to people now would be a good idea. Just make sure to read up on networking basics so you do not come off as immature. I think the effort will be appreciated by folks.

GL

 

Stop thinking so far out. Getting into a top school will be the single most impactful goal you can have at your age, everything else will have VERY minimal returns on time. Think one step at a time, and after getting into a target, then you can consider how to stand out.

 

Some canon events right here. Best advice for OP. God I remember when BO3 came out. Shadows of Evil zombies map was my shit.

 

I used to know Der Eisendrache bow steps like it was in the back of my mind, and here we have this kid overly enthusiastic about a career. Cherish the times now, we can look ahead all we want, but it means nothing when your head touches the back of the pillow and you have regrets about what you didn't fully enjoy.

 

Few things in life were as enjoyable as getting on MW2 after school and screaming about the dirty dealings of a brolic individual named Requis. Women, pot and KBBQ but after that there aint much. Being an adult sucks ass enjoy your freedom

 
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The most I would recommend is to reach out to people from your school that are in the investment clubs and they can probably give you the most relevant advice. Too early to reach out to people in the industry

 

100% true, though somewhat indirectly. Can max out your stats, ECs, and application essays, be top of your class, etc. at your average local HS, and still strike out at getting into any T25-ish school. Go to Andover/Exeter and be top quarter of your class and you'll probably get into a few T10s.  Road becomes significantly easier from there on out. 

 

Nothing against OP.

This industry is insane. No wonder people have a mid-life crisis a 25. Just saw that Goldman moved up their timeline to what EBs do. At this rate, if you want to work in high finance you need to start prepping as soon as you finish freshman year (if not when you start college).

Can someone who runs this industry change something? This makes no sense.

 

At this point, not really. Even if some sort of "agreement" is put into place so as to not start recruiting before a certain date, you can be 100% sure that either formally or informally banks will work some way around it–in the same way it works with college recruiting and in some sports kids commit freshman year despite not being allowed to formally be in touch before junior year. 

If some top banks move their timelines back, then they run the risk of losing top candidates to places that go earlier. Banks that go earlier run the risk of candidates reneging to other places that go later, and I guarantee places that go later will be more or less fine with this as long as they can continue to get the top candidates. Don't really see how things get any better at this point, given that some banks (at least last year) started interviews in late 2023 for SA 2025. 

 

Considered IB in HS I don’t go to a target and I’m on the west coast, I’m at a smaller private school. You can go anywhere you want from any school just network hard. I met IBankers and realized it wasn’t for me. Just be young for now, you’ll figure it out through college. Biggest tips: Network with everyone even those outside of finance. Make friends! College is a time to meet new people and make long lasting friendships. Balance work with fun like 60-70% school, clubs, and personal research, 30-40% fucking around with the boys!

 

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