Best desks for dumb but hardworking people
incoming S&T intern at Barc/DB, got the offer because of sheer luck, now in the process of choosing desks.
I consider myself as a dumb person - did well in maths/stats in highschool, but struggled ever since I got in to uni, but am quite hardworking and willing to put in the hours. I also have nothing too "exceptional" in terms of people skills or other soft skills, just a normal kid. - but I'm good with Python/VBA
I can choose two desks for rotations, and just hoping to get some advice regarding which desks are most suitable for me.
The desks available are:
- Equities (cash, structured derivatives, indices)
- Credit (corp bonds, CDS)
- Rates (gov bonds, swaps, swaptions, inflation)
- Securitised Products (ABS, MBS, CLO)
- Fixed Income Financing
- Structured Solutions
(aiming for trading, unless its securitised products/structured solutions/fixed income financing)
I don't really care about prestige, hours, WLB, or interesting work, only concerned with compensation, return offer, (and potential exits to HF).
Massive thank you to anyone with advice
onlyfans
I was going to say that's fine but then I saw you said not exceptional in people skills. Buddy, you're going to need to work on that. If you're not good technically NOR with people, get the hell out.
Unfortunately, I'm just a regular person without anything exceptional, will definitely do my best to learn all the technical before going in tho. Are there any desks you think that could work out? Thanks!
Not sure why you and someone else threw monkey shit at me.
If you passed the interviews, that’s a pretty good indication you’re not some regular person. There’s thousands of kids why would they pick some Joe Schmoe. No, they saw something in you.
Take some pride in yourself, learn some skills whether it’s coding or becoming comfortable with people. That’s all I say
First of all, don't "consider yourself a dumb person". I can respect being humble, but borderline self-degradation like this will not do you any favors on the floor. Keep your chin up, you'll be fine.
Towards your actual question, I think there's a disconnect between what you're hoping to get from the internship/potential full-time role and the actual of the desks you listed. Simply put, it's not a great idea to solely pick a desk based on compensation and return offer -- let me explain.
Interns make the same salary regardless of desk, and the only variance you'll see from total comp at the analyst level will be your bonus (which, if we're being cynical, can often be uncorrelated with how hard you work and instead be tied to a plethora of other things beyond your pay grade). Plus, just because a desk is doing well now does not mean it will necessarily do so in the future.
Regarding return offers, I can see where you're coming from -- I mean, it's the whole point of the internship after all. However, not only will headcount for desks differ across the division (something that is, again, out of your control), but you are simply going to be a better candidate for a return offer if you're interested in the desk. In other words, just because a desk has more spots open for return offers, doesn't mean you're necessarily more likely to get one over interns who truly chose the desk because they liked the team/product and had a genuine interest.
With all of that being said, try to pick desks based on teams you think would be a good fit behaviorally, products you are curious about, and/or markets that you wouldn't mind reading up on day in and day out. You mentioned trading and some coding aspects...out of the desks you listed, a rates trading seat might be a good fit on paper. But, this is conjecture on my part, and you should ultimately be having as many chats with these teams you mentioned to gauge if that truly would sound like an interesting role.
Happy to be a resource.
Thank you for the advice! Will certainly research the desks in a lot more detail and see which one I'm interested in the most. I saw that you are working in credit trading - how is your experience in credit, and do you feel like it sets you up well for a good trajectory? Thank you!
I love my seat. To be a bit more specific, I work with illiquid/distressed names across practically every industry, which can be complex but very rewarding (one of the few perks of being junior). The team is competitive, but that's the name of the game, so I've learned to roll with and enjoy it.
Regarding career trajectory, I obviously can't predict the future, but I'd say that learning various industries fundamentally while not having to inherently worry about AI replacing my role five years down the line is a comforting thought. However, the bottom line is I'm very lucky to be in this position, so I try to pass along any advice that might help incoming S&T interns/analysts.
Was in the same boat as you. Found out that EQD sales offers a great mix of being fairly straightforward, while also incorporating intellectually stimulating tasks. At the end of the day, if you are hardworking and can learn you’ll be pretty much solid in any role.
+1 to EQD
Admitting you’re average already puts you ahead of 90% of the workforce.
Stay open-minded and keep learning, you’ll get there.
Most people in “elite” jobs aren’t there because they’re brilliant.
They’re there because their parents laid the path from day one.
This is S&T, you see a lot of less of those types
Natus dolores neque aliquam error quia minima aut. Expedita facere est possimus totam doloribus ipsa iusto.
Ad autem hic dolores libero rem eveniet accusamus alias. Provident officia qui similique ut nisi. Consequuntur eos exercitationem mollitia quis odio iure porro quibusdam.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...