What To Do If All Options End Up Failing

So I am currently on hold for SA at my top choice for S&T, specifically on the trading side, and I have a superday next week with my dream company. Beyond that the opportunities are seeming to run thin at this point. My background is extremely unique and I have a near perfect GPA, and interview very well. The consistent problem I've run into is that I come from a non-target and that some view me as a flight risk due to how successful I have been in the past as an entrepreneur. Any suggestions as to what to do this summer to stay in the trading game? Should I go to a capital contribution prop and just learn and trade conservatively so as to lose the least? Really starting to get kind of frustrated but I am open to any suggestions.

Thank you all.

7 Comments
 
Best Response

Not sure why you're laughing, its just something that was said to me in 2 interviews so far. I have always been self employed both in starting some companies when I was younger and selling them and then capitalizing on a different opportunity after. I dropped out of college for 6 years while doing this but went back last year and am very interested in S&T. I am passionate about the markets and just want to learn. I appreciate the suggestions of looking for alternative ideas but given my background, it relates to trading very well. I did a BB S&T internship as a sophomore and loved it, but I didn't apply to the lower tier banks this time around, something I obviously regret choosing to do.

 

Hi everyone. I can vouch for parts of FutureLRO's story. I know the OP might make him look a little delusional if you haven't seen his resume, but the reality is that he does have a really nice offer pending.

He's from a non-target but has a compelling background that's very specific to being a trader- if I said what it was, he'd be pretty easy to Google. Without going into too much detail, the desk that interviewed him is kind of bending over backwards to find a seat for him, but they're running into some bureaucratic issues.

My suggestion to OP is that there is nothing further he can do at this point. He can either wait to hear back or he can go out and keep recruiting. The best thing he can do right now is to get his mind off of this particular firm; focusing on the situation there will only make things more difficult psychologically.

 

Quam aut omnis pariatur molestiae ut. Ullam quia at sint exercitationem doloremque est. Ducimus vitae qui maxime minus sunt rerum ratione. Et explicabo autem suscipit eius. Dolorem dignissimos necessitatibus non doloribus illo.

Eveniet autem non sequi aut et rem numquam. Autem dolores quia corrupti enim ut laboriosam recusandae. Et quis at numquam hic corporis commodi. Tenetur est accusamus aut omnis vitae omnis ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”