Sales and Trading VS. IB path? - Target School Freshman asking.
I am a freshman at Michigan wondering what do do with my life as I post this thread at almost 4 in the morning.
I have been told by a lot of older people who already have jobs lined up that Sales and Trading is "easier" to break into than IB? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
Also, as someone who is still exploring the pockets of finance, can someone in Sales and trading speak to what you do and what made you chose S&T over other fields within finance?
First off—props for thinking about this early. You’re in a great spot to explore both paths.
I would say S&T maybe isn’t necessarily easier to break into than IB, but it’s less standardized. IB recruiting is hyper-structured and brand-driven; S&T cares more about how you think, how you communicate market views, and whether you can handle risk and uncertainty. That means strong candidates with curiosity and conviction can stand out earlier in S&T—even without perfect polish.
As for why I chose S&T: I liked the pace, the direct exposure to markets, and the mix of macro thinking and fast decision-making. You get to see how news, flows, and positioning actually move prices in real time. It’s less about long hours grinding decks, more about reacting to the world and managing risk.
If you’re still exploring, try shadowing both sides, reading market commentary, and maybe joining a trading or investment club. You’ll start to feel which style suits you best. Good luck with this!
Senior at Michigan here - get drunk more
lol ill try. I appreciate the practical wisdom.
S&T has less spots, and actually requires thinking. If you want to memorize basic accounting principles, make powerpoints, work 110 hours for the same pay, go into banking.
That’s always been a mystery to me too. I agree with what you said - investment banking is less demanding in terms of quantitative or intellectual skills, the hours are longer, and yet the pay is about the same...
Of course, one could say that people go into IB because they’re genuinely interested in it. But from what I’ve seen in my class (im a finance student at a target uni), most of those choosing IB did so mainly because they struggled with quantitative finance and could barely pass, almost by default then...
What I’ve come to think is that these students don’t really have technical/intellectual skills to offer, all they have is 110h a week.
I wouldn't say S&T is "easier" to break in. It has less spots and less applicants so the rates should be similar.
And which one is easier to break in should never be the factor for deciding ur career. It's a very non-linear path so not many people in college can advise the freshman on this. Even the returning FO analysts who just finished the Summer knows close to 0 about this industry. While IB it's very structured career path so the mentorship is easily accessible even in college which makes it "friendlier" to the students, encouraging more applications, etc
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