Target-school finance student who loves SALES, what career path would you recommend?
I’m heading into my junior year at Georgetown McDonough as a Finance major and I’m trying to figure out what direction makes the most sense for me long-term.
I’ve realized that I really enjoy sales and being around people, but I also genuinely enjoy finance and the analytical side of things. I don’t want to give up the technical side of finance just to pursue a generic sales career. No shade to my PWM brothas, although that career path does seem super great. 😂 Might have to circle back to it. I just want something slightly more technical while still being sales oriented.
For some context, this summer I worked in sales at a tech startup and have personally sold $15k+ worth of products online. I actually love the process of understanding what someone wants, pitching something, handling objections, and closing. I’m also naturally very social and think I’d really enjoy a career where relationship-building is a major part of the job. (Whereas in IB I think I wouldn't have any passion).
At the same time, I’m at Georgetown and want to take advantage of the finance opportunities available to me. I’m DEFINITELY not interested in traditional IB hours. 80–100 hour weeks are a hard no for me. But Im obviously still willing to work very hard, but I care a lot about having enough time to stay fit in the gym and maintain some semblance of a social life, granted I still wanted to have a lot of work to do but just not getting HEARTATTACKS over it. (No shade to my IB brothas, RIP to those few fellas on the street, damn shame.)
So I’m trying to find the intersection of:* High-level finance/technical knowledge
* Sales and relationship management
* High income potential
* Strong career progression
* A skill/network that compounds over time
* Reasonable enough hours to maintain a lifeI’ve been looking into institutional fixed-income/credit sales, private-credit origination, structured-credit origination, institutional asset-management sales, private-markets fundraising, and capital-markets/origination roles.I’m particularly interested in the idea of becoming someone who understands a complicated financial product extremely well and then gets paid to sell it, build relationships, and generate business, rather than spending my entire career behind a computer, once again NO SHADE to my brothas who enjoy that. 😭For those of you actually working in these areas:What career paths would you recommend for someone with this profile?Are there any areas I’m overlooking that would be a particularly strong fit? And how realistic is it to break into these roles coming from Georgetown MSB with a sales background but without a family connection in finance?Would especially appreciate perspectives from people currently working in credit origination or any origination roles for that matter, private markets, S&T, institutional sales, and asset management.Also, if any of you fellow monkeys think that I could be a good fit for a internship position at your bank, please don't hesitate to reach out! I'm really willing to work hard and sell.
Look into the teams at large asset managers (Ares, Apollo, KKR, etc) that sell the funds to financial advisors, RIAs, banks, etc. Those guys have to know the funds and how they are structured, perform, etc but also have to be social and outgoing and are visiting the offices where the advisors and whoever else work at to pitch the funds. It's a blend between being socially outgoing and sales(y) and also extremely knowledgeable about the funds. I know at Ares it's called their "Wealth management solutions" team and probably similar at the others.
Will definitely look into that sir. 🫡
Funny Username Btw 😂
That is a great point, capital raising and wealth management solutions teams at large alternative asset managers offer a really solid mix of technical knowledge and client interaction.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, your profile and interests align well with several career paths that blend high-level finance knowledge, sales, relationship management, and reasonable work-life balance. Here are some tailored recommendations:
1. Institutional Fixed-Income/Credit Sales
2. Private Credit Origination
3. Structured Credit Origination
4. Institutional Asset Management Sales
5. Private Markets Fundraising
6. Capital Markets/Origination Roles
Additional Insights:
Final Thoughts:
Your passion for sales and finance, combined with your technical and interpersonal skills, makes you a strong candidate for these roles. Focus on networking, securing relevant internships, and building your knowledge of financial products to position yourself for success. If you’re looking for specific connections or advice, don’t hesitate to reach out to professionals in these fields—many are willing to help ambitious students like yourself.
Sources: Accounting vs Finance: Part 1 – Career Paths, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/other/commercial-banking-relationship-manager?customgpt=1, Best sales job in finance, Finance Career Path & List, Tech As An Alternative to Finance
You should look into CRE brokerage. Investment sales/capital markets tend to lean more finance/analytical at the larger shops (eastdil/cbre/jll), whereas leasing is more contract and pure sales based. Experience is heavily team-dependent.
There’s also sales (as in the S in S&T). I know nothing about it other than it exists and the 2 IPOs I did in banking the guys were smart and very good salesmen (as they should be).
I'm pretty sure he's aware, hence why he's asking in the S&T forum.
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