Q's for Traders-School,Skills & Breaking In.

Hello all,

I am a senior economics major with goals of possibly pursuing trading in the future. I am not a super quant and have not taken many math courses. I have a sim account but besides that no trading experience. My question is what do I have to do to break in? Ill start at the lowest level doing anything and move anywhere to do it.

I cant see myself doing a MFE but have considered a few MSF programs to see if I could break in from there. I have had mixed signals from many people, some say a MSF would be a great degree to have as long as you are not trading exotics. Others have said you need to be a rocket scientist for trading gigs.

Also, I have thought about Accounting Masters as I have a family member who trades equity options at a top BB who emphasized these skills. I am just kind of lost in all of the suggestions and need some straightforward advice regarding my situation. Thanks.

12 Comments
 

HAHA Kimbo, I have never thought about it but "MEN'ERGY" might be the best abbreviation for anything ever.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

I have checked out the program and it looks really good but seems like to much of a limited scope, especially coming right from undergrad. I had been looking at Villanova,Vanderbilt, UVA MA commerce, UT Austin MPA, UIUC MSF and a few others. Im open if anyone has other suggestions just not anything in the MFE/MFIN category please.

 
Higheck123I have checked out the program and it looks really good but seems like to much of a limited scope, especially coming right from undergrad. I had been looking at Villanova,Vanderbilt, UVA MA commerce, UT Austin MPA, UIUC MSF and a few others. Im open if anyone has other suggestions just not anything in the MFE/MFIN category please.

its set up to be limited

 
monty09
Higheck123I have checked out the program and it looks really good but seems like to much of a limited scope, especially coming right from undergrad. I had been looking at Villanova,Vanderbilt, UVA MA commerce, UT Austin MPA, UIUC MSF and a few others. Im open if anyone has other suggestions just not anything in the MFE/MFIN category please.

its set up to be limited

I know, I just did not want such a focused degree before I even have a good grasp of exactly what I wanted to do as a career. I would no doubt consider this program if I knew I wanted to get into energy trading.

 
Shmoozernetwork with your family "member?" um, hello?

I have but not much has come of it except some advice. We are not close I just reached out to him on a whim.

 

Sunt ex sunt molestias. Dicta odio blanditiis id repudiandae est saepe dolorem aperiam. Alias voluptate iure possimus soluta nisi suscipit. Qui nihil sed sit consequatur sit veritatis ullam vitae. Hic voluptatum totam quos. Quibusdam reprehenderit dolores vero libero rem. Eveniet necessitatibus magnam non voluptatem ut.

Consectetur nisi in ut ratione autem. Corporis distinctio quasi minus animi similique est. Quidem ut est porro pariatur a animi. Corrupti quidem aperiam eum sed quas natus dolorum.

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...”