Intern unsure if trading is right for them

I'm a math major at target with an okay GPA and I'm doing a sales and trading internship at JPM/GS/MS this summer. The experience is going fine, but I'm not sure if it suits me. My ultimate goal is to leverage the fact that I go to a target to enter a field that will maximize my earnings. So, it would be cool to work on the buyside sometime in the future.

The best part of sales and trading for me has been thinking about how news, the Fed, data, etc., influence markets. The idea of taking risks as a full-time trader is a bit daunting, and I'm not sure I'm the type of person who would handle high-stress situations like that super well. Being a desk analyst seems cool as well, but I don't know much about the viability of the role in comparison to trading. The hardest part is the massive learning curve. I've pitched a few trade ideas throughout the summer, and the process has been fine. It's not my favorite thing to do, but I learned a lot. Also, no desk/product stands out to me as something I 100% want to do. So far, bond trading desks seem to be the most interesting, but I haven't explored things like commodities yet.

I would appreciate advice on:

  1. Whether trading is a good path for me, considering it's something I could see myself liking but maybe not loving.
  2. Which desks might be worth exploring more during the last few weeks of my internship to help clarify my direction?
  3. What other careers should I be considering? If I didn't do trading, I'd look into economic research roles and maybe even management/strategy/econ consulting. Never really considered banking but that (and consulting) seem to give more options down the line than trading.
1 Comments
 

Aut eum aperiam quis ullam velit omnis corporis fugiat. Dolor tenetur labore est sapiente repudiandae animi dolore velit. Explicabo veniam odio eum. Nisi dolor expedita a in at magnam quae. Rem voluptatem labore sit quia consequatur. Est sapiente unde molestiae non doloribus.

Saepe sit omnis distinctio neque a. Sint incidunt unde nemo dolores minima nisi. Quia itaque qui molestias unde unde. Dignissimos id qui sunt reiciendis. Illum deleniti aut nam. Facere quasi officiis quis consequatur officiis et et.

Omnis officiis delectus deleniti sint. Maxime sequi et laboriosam aliquid ratione. Voluptate deserunt quas et aut repellat sed. Optio eum et quia et et. Quis maxime quo harum voluptatem et voluptatem.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”