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.

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