Last second switch from IB recruiting to S&T?
Hi everyone, I am considering backing out of IB recruiting to pursue S&T. To give context, I grinded very hard to land six internships and complete five of them by junior year. I also took a semester off in between, which extended my graduation by one semester, making me eligible for both '26 and '27 internships. IB recruiting is around the corner, and although I am confident in my interview preparation and ability to succeed in the role, I am looking to switch to S&T.
I think I just got hooked on IB very young and structured my entire college years to open a door for me in the future. But after completing the internships and my life turning into recruiting, I am simply no longer excited about the industry. Completing internships, building relationships with people in the industry, and prioritizing interview prep over graded coursework - it feels like I am throwing it all away by backing out this deep.
My rationale is not that I don’t want to pursue IB because something changed about how I view the industry, but more because I know I will enjoy S&T more and have become increasingly intrigued the more I learn about the division. The reason I am slightly comfortable possibly making this decision is because I have acquired a lot of market and trading knowledge since I started investing, trading, and following markets since high school. I did a mock S&T interview just for fun (mix of FICC and equities questions) before I seriously considered this decision and scored really well, given the strength of my foundational trading and market knowledge. I understand the nature and dynamics of both these roles, but I think I would enjoy the kind of stress in S&T more than IB because the work is much more stimulating.
Another dilemma is the money. I don’t come from much, and the IB money would certainly allow me to begin building a financial foundation much faster.
Internships:
- MM Tech M&A Advisory Firm – Intern
- MM PE Fund - Intern
- Search Fund - Intern
- Search Fund - Intern
- Big 4 Firm - Intern (unrelated but needed the cash and had no other offers at the time)
Stats:
- West Coast T1 Public
- Major: Economics
- GPA: Above 3.7
Thank you for reading all of this, and I appreciate any insight.
Also absolutely ZERO s&t networking done but im ready to fkn grind
Necessitatibus sit sed sed aperiam et aut omnis iure. Molestiae quia saepe quia iusto quis. Ipsa quos aut praesentium architecto earum omnis. Hic ut voluptatem nisi necessitatibus vitae asperiores molestias labore. Commodi nulla ratione error voluptatem quos eos. Rerum dicta minus omnis laboriosam repellendus molestias.
Consequatur repellendus cum dolorem molestiae labore blanditiis. Voluptas aut aperiam voluptate nihil labore vel.
Omnis accusamus possimus explicabo velit nobis et ut. Omnis voluptas est error laboriosam consectetur fugit consequuntur. Corrupti vitae nostrum occaecati ut dolorem qui id. Natus voluptatem a nostrum qui omnis quasi. Expedita quia dolor beatae molestias dolore quam aut.
Non maiores soluta vitae error qui omnis rem. Omnis sit sit quaerat accusamus aut. Perferendis rerum quia rerum sed dicta qui. Tenetur quidem et magni maiores.
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...