D1 Track Athlete Trying to Break in
I'm a fifth year senior who runs track and cross country and I'm looking for advice on how to break into investment banking. I have decent work experience, I've done an accounting internship for an insurance company supporting their investment department and I'm currently doing a supply chain internship with a small oilfield services company.
Right now I have a job offer from a small regional bank for a commercial banking position and while it would be a decent place to start it's not exactly what I'm looking for. My GPA isn't stellar and my internships aren't with big well known companies. I don't know anyone in investment banking, I don't go to a target school and I'm not in a MFIN program. Professionally speaking the financial markets are the only thing that interest me so I just don't see myself doing anything else.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Take what you can get. This economy plays no games.
But on the serious side, being a D1 athlete is a complement not a substitute for going to a non-target university. What is your major? If you majored in Finance/Accounting you could follow this path:
Big 4 Audit/TAS -> Target MBA Finance Program -> BB Investment Banking Associate
Thanks for the reply. I'm a finance major. Big 4 always comes to our career fair so I'll look out for that. Would going straight into a MFIN program at a target school be a viable option?
Yes, but the top MSF programs are ridiculously competitive as a majority of the candidates come from other backgrounds such as engineering/economics etc.) who want a finance career. If you could get in, that would be great.
I have heard that PwC is the most prestigious, and EY is the most diverse. Haven't heard much about Deloitte. KPMG is the lowest ranked among the Big 4.
Another former D1 track athlete here. I was in a similar situation. Started in F100 FLDP --> Regional Boutique IB --> MM PE.
It can be done!
Another former D1 track athlete here. I went the non-mba masters route -->LMM IB --> LMM PE. Hardest part for me was definitely getting my foot in the door with mediocre grades and internships.
5000 Meters - I am curious to hear more about your path to MM PE. Do you still run?
jbarrett7 - One benefit to distance running is on top of saying I practiced xx hours/ week you can say I ran xx or 1xx miles/ week and that seems to impressive people. I figure if someone can run 100 miles/ week, they can probably handle sitting at a desk for 100+ hours. Also, I always get asked how fast I ran the mile.
@rustyboots First the easy question: yes I still run, but sparely compared to college. 2-3miles/4-5 days a week. I try to do both days on the weekend then either before work or late night a few days during the week. In the summer I will throw in some track sessions too.
In terms of PE. After recruiting for about a year at various boutique IB's I finally landed a gig. Spent roughly 2 years there and was a top performer doing buy-side/sell-side and debt placement work. Had been contacted by various headhunters and landed a few decent interviews/information calls, but was not thrilled with the locations. I was able to a spot at a PE shop not far from where I was working in banking and investing in a totally unrelated industry to my previous experience. Interviewed extensively: Case study and a combo of fit/technical/deal experience interviews and received an offer. Definitely enjoy the buy-side so far.
Former D1 athlete here.
I worked for a small/medium sized unknown IB boutique that was located around my university and then I moved to a MM IB in a larger financial district (not NY).
Just getting into the game is one of the most difficult parts. Once you "get in" it is easy to leverage your experience and move around.
I would look around for small shops in your local area and just grind it out for 1-3 years. Small shops don't have all the flash but you will get tons of experience and lateraling is not too difficult if you're personable and aren't afraid to network.
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