Which career should I pick as a high school student?

I'm a high school student in Long Island with a big interest in Econ & finance, and would definitely like to work in the industry. I'm captain of the Investments club at my school, have a great GPA, looking to go to a NYC school (NYU, Columbia, etc.) and commute to save money, and have a great chance to intern at Barclays next year through a family connection. I have other great connections in high positions, but I'd like some insight from people in the industries, rather than my mostly-biased relatives who believe banking is terrible, to see what career I should really target. I'm between a few, but banking is probably my biggest interest at the moment. Thanks.

-Investment Banking

-Consulting

-PE

-HF (Trader, Portfolio manager, etc.)

1. I understand not everything is comp, but which give you the highest chance of 7-8 figs a year?

2. Which require (or require to make 6-7 figs) an MBA

3. Would an applied math B.S. (my possible major) be practical to work in these industries?

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

If you're a high school student, pursue anything and everything that interests you. Dont rule anything out. When I was 18 I wanted to be an architect, then an engineer, then an accountant (dont ask me why), and I ended up in M&A. 

You clearly have a good head on your shoulders and I applaud you for trying to get ahead, but dont forget to enjoy life at your age. 

Find where your passions lie and that will allow you to maximize your comp long-term. If you are really desperate to learn about these roles, watch youtube videos, read books about the roles, try and find blogs from professionals who work in these fields (not sure if this is a thing any more, but Michael Burry used to publicly post all his stock thesis' prior to be a finance legend). 

Whatever you do, dont ask adults to jump on the phone with you unless they are close family friends. You are simply too young and not far enough along in your education to start to really learn about the roles. 

IMO an MBA is largely overhyped and only essential if you are on distinct paths, most of which you are 6-8 years away from, so dont worry about that. 

Math is a wonderful major and I wish I had majored in math (loved it more than finance). Contrary to what you may hear, as long as you are willing to learn the basics of finance in your free time, math will serve you just fine. Your work ethic and personality and ability to network will be what determines where you get job offers, not your major. Remember that. 

 

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