Choosing Career Path (Sub-3.0 GPA)

Hi all,

I'll be graduating this summer (taking last class online) from a top-15 school, and I'm really struggling to determine what types of jobs I should be applying for. My degree is a B.B.A. in IT Management (with an emphasis on Data Analytics) and Economics, but my GPA is honestly terrible (sub 3.0). I've been looking into some quant-type positions, research, trading, and operations, but I'm not exactly sure if those are the right paths.

In terms of skills, I'm pretty well versed in coding (Python, R, VBA, SQL), especially for statistical use. I've also taken upper level financial and managerial accounting courses, and am relatively competent in financial modeling. Ideally I'm looking for a position that either combines finance and technology, or is more finance leaning.

If anyone has any advice as to what jobs I should be looking for, or any advice for finding a job with my abysmal GPA, please let me know! I'm pretty lost and just want to start working as soon as I can.

Thanks

 

Hi mpf1116, just trying to help:

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Fingers crossed that one of those helps you.

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Most Helpful

For your specific case, being at a top 15 school, I'd recommend reaching out to career services and having them guide you. Since you're looking all over the place (technology, management, finance, etc.) they can provide a much more holistic view than we can here on WSO.

If you're looking into IB specifically, to be frank, with a sub 3.0 GPA it will be nearly impossible to get a job straight out of undergrad. For more personalized advice, I always recommend The Lobby to people. It let's you schedule 1 on 1 conversations with bankers/PE/VC people who will give honest advice instead of the normal spin you might hear.

 

Just from personal experience, GPA and school didn't mean shit for me and I broke into ER. Not IBD but beyond the best I could've hoped for while also being 6 months~ out of undergrad. I got asked in the first interview "What is 'Python'?" so it seems like they really don't care about CS very much. However I do agree with reaching out to career services as well.

That being said, I did have an investment related internship in college and had written a full analyst report for a college course. I didn't think it was any good but my interviewers had it printed out and were asking questions about it the majority of the time. Anyways, IBD may be a reach but you can definitely get in somewhere. Just apply to 300+ places one will eventually take a chance on you. Good luck.

 

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