Capital One Business Anaylst
I read on WSO that Capital One BAs get $95k total first year compensation if they had an SA gig with Capital One and get hired for a FT position. With Capital One paying very well out of undergrad, and having offices outside of DC (so cheaper cost of living than NYC/Boston/Chicago) what are the big downsides? I'm assuming the exit opportunities don't stack up to MBB or other more sought after finance and consulting jobs, but thats really based on nothing.
wow, I am surprising they pay that well for an undergrad BA!?
If you intern with them they do (20k signing bonus). But I hear that your compensation slightly goes down your second year. So maybe there's not much salary growth or exit ops? Because 95k for 50 hour weeks are pretty attractive
Went through recruiting with them and visited their McLean, VA. Also have friends who SA'ed and accepted full-time.
Downsides: 1) Worse exit opps: from what I could tell, most people go to other financial services companies or go to business school.
2) Worse personal development opportunities: at least based on what my friend said, it seemed like they don't do a very good job of developing their people once they enter. They do have classes, mentors, etc., but my friend felt that he was just thrown out there without much attention paid to how his skill sets are developing. I think personal development is one of the main reasons people join consulting firms/financial services firms.
3) Politics: typical F500 office politics. At least based on my friend's experience and what I heard from other FT-ers, you need to wisely pick where you get placed / whom you work for. Of course, there's politics at consulting firms as well, but it seemed much worse at COF (and any other F500).
4) No business school sponsorship: this might not matter for some people, but I like at least having it as an option.
2) Meh debateable. Its really what you make of it at COF.
3) True
4) Completely and total abject fucking bullshit. They sponsor for both fulltime and part time.
2) "It's really what you make of it at COF."
Which is why I think it's worse than at MBB. MBB take PD almost too seriously, especially at the BA/A/AC level. You're guaranteed access to one of the best PD resources out there--in fact you have no choice but to take it seriously.
4) I guess I got it wrong. But the way I was told (a few years back, nonetheless), it was "on a case by case basis" without "a structured sponsorship program" for full time. Which I translated as "we really don't." Don't care about PT, so didn't ask.
20k is a very high bonus for someone out of undergrad. However, that's a one-off payment. You should consider pay + bonus over the next couple years (or even longer if you think you might stick around). I'm guessing 3 years total compensation from MBB will still be higher. B-school sponsorship is another big issue to consider.
I think compensation is on par with MBB, but the work itself is not as interesting. For the most part you will be liaising with IT teams doing planning out the implementation... Access/Excel all day. They try to sell themselves as being a strategy gig, which it really isn't, but hey you can sell that story to B-school. It appears that graduates of the business analyst program do have good business school placement. It's a pretty good gig, but nothing compared to MBB consulting.
Source: I have a parent who works there and know about 20 employees from analyst to VP in various divisions.
I was told this program was worth pursuing as well, if anyone has anything to add to what pnb2002 please do.
cof,lol
What tier consulting firm is an offer from COF comparable to? So at what point is it worth taking a Capital One offer over a consulting gig (obviously after MBB)?
So happypants, what would be your personal decision? Not to put you on the spot...
Agreed that it's mainly a personal preference. I would personally take any tier 2 consulting firm over COF (i.e. LEK, Deloitte S&O, Booz, OW, Parthenon). It'd be a tough call if it were COF vs. ACN Strategy or something along those lines.
I can shed some light on this since I interned both as a BA at CapOne and at a 2nd-tier consulting firm (LEK/Booz/OW).There are definitely some very talented kids at COF but on average I'd say the classes at consulting firms are a little more impressive. B-school placement was solid from what I heard. The work environment was pretty fun and laid back, I worked ~45 hours/week and spent maybe 5 of those hours playing foosball.
The big downside was that they didn't have as much support for career development. The feedback and development process wasn't taken seriously by some managers so you really have to be a self-starter to excel. B-school sponsorship had a dollar amount limit that was pretty conservative I think... although this was a while ago so things might've changed. Exit-ops in industry wasn't as good from what I've seen, most COF peeps that left went into retail banking/marketing analytics type roles.
Also, is the salary information mentioned before accurate?
Usually BA's are assigned to a certain project/initiative, this could range from marketing initiatives to acquire customers, programs to improve NPV per customer, or managing risk/models. On a day-to-day basis you'd probably spend a good chunk of your time on Excel and Powerpoint churning out analysis/deliverables, much like leadership development programs at other F500s I would imagine.
If you want a work/life balance instead of a work/ballthefuckout balance then it sounds decent.
agreed. My point was more longterm as a banker and what that could lead to.... and I was basically fully just joking ; )
First year comp for a BA at Capital One last year was 68k salary, 20k signing bonus, and ~5k end of year. It doesn't matter if you interned there or not. ~30% of the recruits get promoted after 1 year, which comes with a nice bump in salary (~15%). The people at COF are super talented. Pretty excellent for a 40-50 hour/week job.
There is some sexy work to be done as a BA, and some not-so-sexy work. Like consulting, you will perform analyses, create decks and make business recommendations. Unlike consulting, you will be more "in the weeds" and cutting through red tape to get your projects implemented. Although not as much fun as strategy work, it can be great experience. Everyone loves somebody who can get shit done on a project from start to finish.
As someone mentioned, career development opportunities will be hit-or-miss depending on your manager. Exit ops, including M7 business schools, are very solid.
This is probably the most accurate post in this thread.
Doloremque doloremque totam nostrum ipsa. Enim voluptates accusantium vero necessitatibus quibusdam optio. Sint sit alias quia id.
Id in quibusdam dolorum. Ratione incidunt placeat eos doloremque ut. Neque cumque eos explicabo eligendi voluptatem.
Voluptas asperiores delectus voluptas. Atque consequatur repudiandae dolorum iste labore qui aut.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Sapiente aliquid rerum accusantium rem eos similique dolor iste. Rerum quae et sapiente perferendis. Et at iusto laudantium quasi est. Voluptas aut voluptatem itaque facere maxime. Eum culpa consequatur dignissimos et omnis dicta modi. Rerum quam adipisci est enim porro non et. Sit ipsa voluptas et.
Quia ea officiis temporibus. Cupiditate ut minus aliquam. Ut aut consequatur amet numquam odit quasi. Ea quia molestiae temporibus impedit voluptas.
Similique ut accusamus culpa. Qui aut placeat accusamus enim ipsa. Quis qui voluptatem vero laborum ab aspernatur. Id eum rerum sed voluptas quae in dicta.