Best Path for me from George Mason
Hey guys, my dream job like many others here is to work in Investment Banking. I'd really love to work for a hedge fund one day, and believe IB is a great gateway to help me get there.
I go to George Mason right now. I realize it's not a great ivy league school. My thinking is that my best shot to make it into the industry to attend a top school (hopefully wharton) for a MBA focused on finance. Right now I'm majoring in Accounting, and have been planning on getting my CPA after graduating and working at one of the BIG 4 for a couple of years experience (3-5), and Then transitioning to Grad School and the Finance World. At my school, with my grades (3.8 +) , i'm confident that I can get into one of the Big 4 and it seems like a "safer" option.
My other theory, and my main question here, is should I instead study Economics? I really, truly love economics. I believe it may be more helpful on WS and will be better preparation for a top grad school. My worry with it is that I'm not as confident i'll find a great company to work with for a couple years as I know I could with Accounting. I know George Mason is not a great school, but the Econ Program (specifically Free Market Economics) is highly renowned (I believe?).
Whether I do Econ or Accounting, I'm 1 1/2 years away from graduating. Any advice/tips/insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Why are you interested in investment banking and why would you love to work for a hedge fund one day?
I've always been fascinated with the stock market. I've excelled in the finance/accounting/economic courses i've taken and i've been passionate about them, more than merely enjoying them. Going into the finance world I want to go to the top. I'm a workaholic, working 80 hour weeks doesn't just sound like something I can bare to do, I will thrive doing it. The alpha dog competition in the banking world just fascinates me. Simply put I believe it'd be a good fit for me, and if I'm going to work in the finance world I want to aim for the top. Some words of wisdom I once heard that stuck with me was don't aim to be average, because what if you fall short? You get one life, I don't want to "play it safe" and earn a comfortable 80k a year being an Accountant, not to dog on any Accountants out there because it's a respectable profession and I'm still considering going that path and using the experience as a gateway into the finance world. I want to aim high, and investment banking/hedge funds have caught my eye.
Your Yolo ideology is inconsistent with thriving at working 80 hour weeks. Plain and simple people go into HF and IB because they want to get rich. They want to get rich so they can do/be/go everything and everywhere their heart desires because in many cases only then will they have "happiness". If you can't find happiness or meaning now while in school where no one studies or works more than 30 hours a week combined you will never in your life be able to fill that empty hole. Not saying that you don't have interest or that you aren't happy in life, but before you drink the koolaid that is WSO think about what you really want in life and then do whatever is necessary to achieve it ---Esuric asked a great question, and your only response was the same crap that I and everyone else on this forum feeds all the recruiters and interviewers we've come in contact with.
To answer your question: George Mason's Econonoics Department is well renowned if you are interested in Austrian Economics. So if that's what you're into then go for it. It's a hell of a lot more interesting than accounting.
cheesiest answer ever.
Thanks for the advice. I've researched plenty of other threads and discussions to get an idea of what the career is actually like vs typical perceptions, I don't need to start a thread because the search bar is a great tool to answer that. While I will always welcome good advice like animalz's, I really am looking for advice on the best path to break into the industry for my particular situation at George Mason.
Your best shot is probably as you already guessed --> top MBA. As far as getting there, whether you study accounting or econ is probably not going to make a huge difference. Your grades are good. You now need to get great work experience, ECs that will make you stand out, a good story (as supported by recs + essay + and so on), good GMAT --> Apply --> Get In --> IBD Glory.
Thanks for the layout. Is Working as an accountant at one of the big 4 considered great work experience? I feel like that will open lots of doors, but how valuable will that really look for a MBA applicant?
You know, I've never heard a good answer to that question..
I'm from Northern Virginia and know a lot of people that have done GMU -> big 4. That profile alone won't get you into an M7 without some miracles, but top 25 is doable with GMATs and ECs that stand out.
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