Landing a job in PE, VC, IB with no college degree - your thoughts?
Hey all,
The older I get the more I realize: YOLO. I have always wanted to live in NYC so last week I went up, met with a real estate broker and signed a lease. What I want to do, however, is my next issue to tackle.
My dilemma is, I do not have a college degree nor do I have any experience working for a company as I have been self-employed since high school. As the saying goes: the harder you work, the luckier you get. Fortunately, my hard work has paid off and has afforded me the luxury to do something that I have always wanted to do: move to NYC. I am in the construction industry and have a medium-sized real estate portfolio consisting of large commercial properties and industrial parks up and down the East Coast. With that said, I have plenty of real-world experience and connections, many of which who sit at the big boy table.
Is it possible to leverage my capital, credit and connections to land a job in PE, IB or VC or will I have a hard time due to a lack of education and corporate experience [or rather, working for someone else]? I can forgo benefits: retirement, healthcare, etc. as they will not be needed. I also do not need a competitive salary as it won't be my primary source of income; instead, it's just to keep two parties honest.
Though I have been pretty successful at what I have done, I believe that I am leaving a lot on the table by not becoming a more well-rounded individual in the business world. It's easy to put together 2 plus 2, but I feel like there is a lot more to learn that will ultimately advance my [as well as others] life. My goal is to further give back, especially to aspiring entrepreneurs and single mothers (Ex.: Big Brother Big Sister).
I'm struggling to figure out how to approach companies. Do you guys (and ladies) have any advice on how to go about finding a job?
Thanks!
I'm in PE/VC without a degree but I also founded/sold a few companies and am using my own balance sheet to make investments/built my own firm. Without a very strong track record it's extremely unlikely.
VC you can get into easily if you're a founder with a good track record as a great operator. I mean founding a company and getting rev up past $10M - $15M a year.
If you have a bank account, I would recommend you start your own firm and seek out partners or hire people that have the knowledge you want. I had the opportunity to work closely with several amazing people with tons of PE/IB experience who helped me learn how to do deals/best practices/etc...
Maybe seek out a partner who has good IB/PE knowledge, but is not an executor/operator and then teach each other the skills you need!
Also if you've had success as an entrepreneur, I'm not sure there's any point in working for someone else unless you have real equity upside. If you've found a business that works, focus on it and just hire people smarter than you.