How to get to FO from MO trading support

I’m a second year who will be interning in trading support at a big HF this summer. This wasn’t exactly what I was looking for as I managed to land an FO role at a very small energy prop firm early in the recruiting season, but it got taken away due to leadership change and restructuring, so I had to completely scramble to find something. Curious about whether being in the MO is going to alter my brand and mess up my trajectory, and if it’s still going to be possible to get to the FO in either sellside S&T or as a junior trader at an HF out of school. What are the steps I need to take to make that happen? For example, should I Iook for a slightly more FO-adjacent role like trading solutions or analytics at a smaller, less well known HF? Really lost about what to do here and would appreciate any advice.

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I think that applying around cannot hurt, worst case scenario you don’t get traction and you go for this role.
Trade support is not that bad and for sure still better than having nothing. Also it can vary a lot between shops so chances are you will code in python and sql and maybe make some dashboards (non-PnL related) to traders for example some view on big delta positions that might be risky if it’s a big shop.
So TS>0 but I think FO>TS to keep applying but don’t desperate

 

Quis ullam sunt iure nam quisquam. Et veritatis vel dicta omnis laborum assumenda dolores harum. Eos perspiciatis illum dicta et atque. Repudiandae quae est necessitatibus est mollitia. Perferendis autem consequuntur et aperiam esse vel facilis. Aut maxime aut excepturi necessitatibus hic placeat quod sunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”