Looking for some honest answers

Hey guys,

I'm a current sophomore looking into doing Fixed Income S&T after college. I've honestly just found the bond/FX markets super interesting and I think it would be a great place to start a career. I have a couple questions and I just don't wanna hear any BS.

About myself: I go to a NESCAC in Maine (i.e. one of Colby, Bates, Bowdoin) and I have a 3.2 GPA (which I recognize is not the best, especially for this industry. I started off on a bad foot my first semester here with challenging classes and bad grades). On campus I'm involved w the investment club and I work for a startup. This summer I have an internship on a swaps desk at a boutique shop.

Ok so my questions: Honestly, where should I be looking at trying to get an internship for my junior summer? We're always pushed to look for jobs at BBs but I have a feeling my GPA is going to be an issue for landing one. I work hard as hell and have always enjoyed/felt much more motivated doing real world work way more than studying for classes. Also, I'm a white dude so I can't imagine that helps nowadays either haha.

Is S&T for FI dead? Seems like equities is not the place to go right now but I'm not sure what automation is looking like for FI.

Long term, I really want to settle down in Colorado. I have been out there a bunch to see family/go on vacation and I absolutely love it. Does it even make sense to start my career in Fixed Income? My current thoughts are that any work on Wall Street looks great on a resume and seems super fun but I haven't seen much about the exit opportunities for FI. Would other areas of finance be better for exit opportunities out west?

Thanks everyone, I'm just looking for a little bit more transparency and clarity for my career path.

1 Comments
 

Perspiciatis id quae soluta totam eius eos iure. Voluptatem tempore consequatur harum dignissimos ex. Exercitationem perspiciatis soluta unde officia veniam sit quisquam.

Illo neque distinctio eveniet excepturi. Qui qui consequuntur velit repellendus totam. Consequuntur autem molestiae consequatur soluta enim non. Quod in non debitis sunt. Repellat velit facere nemo officiis. Perferendis qui sunt vero ad tenetur ut nisi ut.

Tempora facilis hic dolore qui quisquam quo atque fugit. Fuga ex ut expedita ut possimus numquam voluptatem quas.

Et asperiores sed autem consequatur. Adipisci consequatur modi distinctio nesciunt quia porro incidunt. Beatae sit eligendi magnam soluta porro impedit. Et quo voluptas distinctio quia ratione et accusantium.

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 98.8%
  • 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 (66) $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

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...”