Startup vs Google for past work experience matters to banks?
I'm a sophomore CS student interested in finance. I want to work in IB my junior summer and am taking relevant coursework, reading the WSJ regularly, teaching myself accounting, etc. so that I stand a shot next year.
Right now, however, I have the option of interning at Coursera (startup) vs a well known company like Google as a software engineer for my sophomore summer (It's hard to get a finance gig as a non-business studying sophomore, so I'm sticking with what I know). Would banks value me working at Google more when looking at my past work experience? Both of these internships are totally irrelevant to IB, but banks know that anyone who worked at a big company like Google/Facebook/Microsoft/Amazon must be reasonably smart.
I like Coursera and would like to work there over the summer. My only concern is that I should get a big name company on my resume. Does this matter to banks at all?
I would wager it's more difficult to get an internship at Google v Wall Street
I would also further wager that if you had an offer at Google v an offer at GS, most people would take Google
...but to answer your question -- Google > startup
Google is a specific firm, of course it's going to be harder to get a job there when comparing to all of Wall Street. It's also harder to get a job at Blackstone than Google.
Your second point might be true though, I don't know. I'd personally rather take an average GS group easily.
What do you mean by people would pick Google over GS? Are you suggesting that engineers shouldn't go into finance?
As a software engineer, it makes sense to go to Google. As a financial analyst it makes sense to go to GS.
In terms of broad numbers, regardless of major. If you took a sample of top students at say the top 50 schools, I would bet a great majority of them would choose Google, FB, Yahoo, (Silicon Valley) over GS, JPM, BX, (insert Wall Street name here). That's just how it is post-recession. Me personally, for every 1 wannabe i-banker, I know 10 programming/engineer students. (this is coming from a wannabe i-banker)
There's tons of articles/blurbs on the subject. Google it
Yes, name matters a lot and banks care. Definitely take google if you want to work in IB
I love Coursera - awesome company doing awesome things. That said, go for Google. Bankers love good brand names.
i dont understand the strange comparisons between "google" and "goldman" or whatever... ppl interested in google software engineering are often way different than ppl interested in M&A at an investment bank. there's not that much overlap between the two groups..
altho i would say it's easier for a "non-target" to break into google for software: one program and do open source projects during freetime and get good, that's all that matters. however, IB cares a lot about prestige, it's much harder to get in from non-target
You'd be surprised how much Google internally cares about prestige.
Go google and never leave.
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