Hey WSO! I've enrolled in my CC this upcoming Fall. I'm going to transfer to Clemson (or maybe UIUC if I can get in) to finish my degree in Computer Science after competing my Associates degree (science). I was accepted to Clemson but couldn't attend due to financial reasons. I can get out of Clemson with only $20k in debt if I follow this route.
Is there any chance for me to work in Front-Office roles? Honestly, I would want ER>S&T>IB. I just don't know if CS is a good major. I have a passion for it (been programming for some time now) and don't see myself majoring in Business.
Thanks :)
It's unlikely, but not impossible. Standard advice applies: keep a high GPA, network, try and get a summer internship sophomore year or earlier if possible. Also, if you're doing comp sci don't forget to look at tech companies, the comp is strong, as are the perks, hours tend to be less hellacious as well.
Eh, thanks for being honest. It would be pretty neat to work for Google, Facebook, etc but the competition is crazy difficult (4+ million apply) so I don't have a chance.
But it's not Google or nothing, even within the F500 there are less sexy tech giants, not to mention startups and non-tech firms that need computer scientists.
Have you thought about maybe working at a tech company for a few years, then getting an MBA and then going into IB? It would make a good story. At my company, I got in in a large part, i think, because i knew how to program.
Seems like a neat path. How would I get into Investment Banking with a tech background?
I told you, do an MBA. Maybe a pre-MBA internship, then an MBA internship, then IB. Don't say, "I couldent' break into IB the first time around because I'm a community college loser." Spin up a good story about how you want to use your shit quant skills for IB, etc. Maybe get involved in the business side of whatever shit tech company you fucking work for, and talk shit about how you want to help other fuckers grow by lending money.
This begs the question, why do you even want to do front office finance if you're passion is in programming? Can't / shouldn't be because of competition both fields are frankly equally competitive.
Well, the Business majors at my state-schools are extremely weak and have the schools have zero OCR. I'm passionate to do CS, it's just that FO roles pay significantly more. If I was smart enough to get into a top school such as UPenn, NYU or UMich I would've.
If I COULD I would double major with Finance but my school doesn't offer that and my GPA could tank.
I'm guessing you're in SC? USC seems to have a decent accounting program and it's always possible to go Big 4 audit to TAS and then back door to IB.
Yep. USC-Darla Moore is meh. I'm really interested in accounting and I've heard USC doesn't place very well and anywhere except boutiques in Charlotte.
It's kind of a lost cause to transfer into USC. I would be late to the game and I could've started there from the get go but I just don't like their placement.
Only 1 person from there is working at Goldman. Know a person who knows him, very bright person
If you do well, network and hustle you can get big 4 or a strong regional accounting firm out of there. Honestly I'd choose USC, Clemson or CoC over a CC, but that's just me. GS tends to be fairly receptive to non-target grads. I'd focus your efforts on trying to get to a boutique in Charlotte as a summer analyst.
On the accounting front, just a quick search on Google shows that PwC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG all have a presence on campus, with a number of their principals and partners serving on advisory boards.
I work with a few PhD's. In a few months, I'll be the boss of those fuckers. they have 0 social skills. alot of computer geeks (like the OP) have 0 social skills, bunch of fucking autistics, front office lol.
I won't lie I laughed. I don't fit those stereotypes. Most people are surprised to hear I'm majoring in CS (mostly because I'm an outgoing person).
Again, congrats on the $46K/year job broski! It's a good start.
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/got-job-at-a-private-equity-firm…
Nerdy geeky CS major with zero social skills here. I just got back from a weekend of diving on Lake Michigan. CS majors and engineers tend to make the best divers and pilots for whatever reason. Can you give me their contact info? Also are you sure a bunch of hotshot CS PhDs work for a guy earning $46k/year? Typically they earn a lot more than that at a hedge fund.
Thanks, sport! Hope you had as much fun this weekend as the geeks, programmers and engineers.
@illiniprogrammer went to UIUC I think, you should ask him for advice.
IlliniProgrammer
UIUC would give you a route into the Chicago prop shops. If you land at Jump or TMG, that's like landing on the buyside.
Here's my advice on this: your first job is not your last. I started in Fixed Income Analytics at Lehman. It's debatable whether that was FO, BO, or somewhere in between. What I do know is that we had a lot of smart hardworking people who put together the bond index every evening and produced the internal risk numbers every day. I leveraged that job to land as a desk strat in Options Sales and Trading, levered that to get an MFE, and levered that to land in buyside stat arb.
My cousin landed at Disney corporate out of a Clemson Math PhD. It's also a good school. My thinking though is that your best bet is UIUC --> Jump Trading --> retired 30 year old.
Are you implying I won't be able to land a FO job?
Lol on a serious note would UIUC be worth the OOS tuition? Should I go in as a Finance major or CS major? I just don't like how over saturated Finance is not to mention the competition but CS is an unrelated major.
I've heard that UIUC is pretty much Ivy level when it comes to transferring into Computer Science these days. I want to apply to top state b-schools but I've heard it's a crapshoot even if you have a 4.0 at CC. Working in research/trading is my goal and I've been told they're quite a bit of prop shops there. I'll leave IB for all the Harvard/Penn grads :)
I don't see why you have to choose between either business or CS. A lot of students can do both and it's not extremely cumbersome to do. Most lower division business majors just have to take a few more GEs and that's about it.
I would advise to do both, as many of my friends who are good at SE choose to do both.
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