I have a great deal of experience in internships that have preped me for a career in I-banking and I have a blue-collar background with no connections in the business. I literally will work day and night in order to get a job in i-banking but no one will take a look at my resume because I didn't go to a top 10 ivy school, i did howeve go to a "baby ivy". I just need a "foot" in the door and I will never look back. Anyone have any advice?
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You're really going to work hard? Prove it and start scouring this site for info
You are doing something wrong or have not spent enough time networking. Firms take people from non-Ivys literally all the time. If you go to a top 50 school you certainly should have the chance to at least get your foot in the door.
I concur.
Should I aim towards smaller banks first or not set limits as to where I look?
What does "a great deal of experience in internships" mean?
BTW, the road to hell is paved with people who said they would work hard, but had no idea what the concept means.
I have worked as an analyst at Bank of America for a year and I worked at a hedge fund in NYC for a summer where I was promoted to a investment team leader. I know what it means to work hard trust me I know the concept. I've had to scratch and claw for everything I've gotten in life and I will continue to do the same.
How can I network when I don't know anyone to network with. I have been on linkedin along with many other networking sources and I don't know how to even begin. I almost feel like a charity case and I feel that it comes off as a sign of weakness.
It does not come off as a sign of weakness. I've done a lot of networking via linkedin/alumni and have been able to meet many people that are genuinely interested in helping me out...swallow your pride and see what happens...
How does a blue collar background give you a great deal of experience that would prepare you for i-banking? Why do you want it so badly anyways? It's not that great.
It's not my blue-collar background that I got experience from I had internships. I want it so badly because its everything I want in a career and it means more to me than it will ever mean to anyone. I obviously come from a significantly different background than you.
Some pretty confident statements there. You can prove somehow that it means more to you than anybody else? How do you know mmilburn's background enough to say it's "significantly" different?
If you want it so bad, tell us why you want it. What are the reasons? What makes you so excited about it?
Start.networking.now
Work smarter, not harder
Good Luck....
That second line... what my MD tells me every day.
Good advice
//www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/next-steps-to-an-investment-bankinganaly…
Check his other post out. You want to get into banking yet you turn down a PWM job at BAML and instead you work for Monster.com. Taking the bank of america offer would at least put you in the same building as IBD. Now you're whining about not having contacts for networking?
I don't mean to sound like I am whining, trust me I appreciate all the help. I have been looking for advice and clearly have been going to the wrong places for it.
Stop talking about your fucking blue collar background. From that and the rest of the points you've made, you obviously have already given yourself potential excuses for failure.
If you go to a 'little Ivy' type of school then it's not like you're trying to claw your way out of the gutter here for god's sake. I agree with UFOinsider, start checking out old threads.
I agree that IBs do take people from top 50 schools. IB jobs are so competitive that you will need to do a lot of networking to get your resume picked out from the pool. So what baby-ivy school did you go to anyway?
Also, working hard and long hours are not the only components that lead to a better job. Research has been done about this.
I went to Wheaton College in Massachusetts. I understand that there are many more components than working hard to landing a better job, and I am saying I am open to learning all of those components.
Then you need to show people that even though you're assigned to do shitty jobs, you're just so good at them and making a name out of it. Also, it's a new start-up shop. Don't expect that a start-up will have a solid organization structure. If you get the little things done, you can ask for more work related to the deals.
People (if they're good people) will recognize you this way. If you unfortunately work with fucked up people, then it's up to you whether you want to spend (or waste) time to do this.
Also you are a fucking sloppy writer, you know better than that. That is just laziness/not caring.
No offense, but you sound like a fucking retard.
That is a very touching story indeed. Now get in line behind thousands of other people who are going to say the exact same thing. Contrary to your belief, your background and your so called motivations are not unique at all.
I also get the feeling you have no idea what banking is.
Now lets not be so harsh. I'm sure he already has gotten a good sense of what he needs to do from here on out....good luck wallstdj...
No, he's right. This is totally dumb, and it does sound like he knows nothing about banking. He "went" to XYZ college? That means he is done with school. If he had gone back and read a single thread on here, he would know he is basically screwed and needs to go back and get an MBA.
I said "no offense". Gawd.
Haha
Stop being so harsh, give this guy a damn chance. He's not asking you guys for a job. It's not so hard to answer a question and point him to a right direction, right?
And yes, you need to start thinking about getting an MBA from a top school.
I'm done.
Wow. Wusstah isn't exactly the ghetto, bud. A lot of us probably had harder upbringings than you did in scenic middle-Mass.
You come off as annoyingly self-entitled. What have you done? Wheaton? Not exactly a "Little Ivy." More like a 60th ranked liberal arts college. Tufts is a "Little Ivy" in Mass, as is Brandeis.
You're facing tough competition, so you'll need to network harder and show people what you can add to their firm.
first. i'm sorry, but wheaton is not a "little ivy". sorry to sound snobbish, but it's not amherst or williams or any of the other top liberal arts schools.
second. PWM in bofa is an extremely common internship and will not make you stand out. i'm not sure what you did at the hedge fund, but were you in a front office role?
this post just sounds very entitled in general. you went to a private liberal arts school. how are you from a blue collar background? there are hundreds of ivy league students with great grades and internships who can't get jobs. there are also many kids from top 100 schools and decent grades who get GS IBD. start hustlin'
sorry if this sounds hostile, but you need to up your game. pick up the phone, speak with people every day to see if maybe they can take a look at your resume, and in the meantime read up on the job and what it entails if you really want it. best of luck
What the fuck? There are only 8 ivy league schools. How can an ivy league school not be a top ten ivy league school?
Reddog, that's what I said, but decided I said enough and deleted my post haha.
That's really funny. I've had a few too many douchey posts recently and probably should have done the same, but someone had to say it.
Thanks guys
I didn't mean to come off as entitled and going through and reading the posts again I understand that they may have come of that way. I also didn't mean to offend certain people and if I did I apologize. I appreciate the information and the advice given and I thank you for taking the time to post.
You should be fucking mentally mature enough to realize your intention as you're conjuring it up and barfing on this fourm. Are you okay? I feel there is something incredibly wrong about you and I fear for your future. Seems like you are the kid who would hang out with the 'cool kids' only to be ridiculed as to why you were hanging out to them when you weren't present.
Suburban Mass, actual use of 'blue collar' as a characteristic of who you are; you are truly delusional of hardship in this world. Grow up you imbecile.
Seriously dude, you might want to brush up on your writing skills. I know this is an internet forum, so impeccable grammar is not required, but if you want to work in the industry you will need to improve your writing skills. I don't mean to disrespect you, but you have mistakes in every post, and it just doesn't come off well.
Ok Good Will Hunting what was your GPA / SATs?
hate to break it to you but if you are out of school and dont know anyone in the industry you are pretty much SOL.
Also i dont think you really understand what ibanking entails as if u actually did you wouldnt be saying all these stupid cliches about it.
also wheaton is not "baby ivy" lol
I read through about half this thread so if what I say copies another persons comment I apologize.
You sound really frustrated, and if I was in your position I would be too. Clearly, you have invested a lot of time and energy in this want of an IBD career and that energy has yet to materialize into anything. Uphill battles are always a pain.
You definitely should know that going to an Ivy school or what have you doesn't hurt anyone, but in my experience thus far it doesn't really help either. Everyone, at every school studying finance or economics wants to work at Goldman Sachs. You and I are in the same position, and will have to work just as hard as one another to get where we want to be. Don't let stupid rankings get in the way of your dreams.
You said you were confused regarding networking via linked in and such. For me, I've joined as many linkedin clubs/associations that are relevant to what I'm interested in, as well as my schools alumni association. I've gotten a hold of the email format list (available on this site, and I'll PM it to you if you'd like) and begun sending out emails. Thus far, my success rate is terrible, but I'm going to keep trying until something happens. All I need is one person willing to help me out, and the same goes for you.
Lastly, I'd say that your upbringing should be looked at as a plus, not a minus. You clearly have struggled through experiences that have made you value things that someone like myself, who's been spoon fed since birth, does not - and that will make you want to work harder and faster than most of your competition. If you take a look at the worlds list of billionaires, more come from rough, poor, and unfavorable backgrounds than those who are like me -- giving you a serious edge in my opinion.
Thus, if you never stop trying, you've never failed -- you're just in progress, which will ultimately lead to success. If life throws you crap, start a manure business!
Goodluck!
There's a new Emperor in town.
Basel the Banker-Slayer.
You're looking to break in at a very bad time. Keep non-IB options open.
What is a "baby-ivy"?
Aww that's mean. The OP just wants to come on and bitch because his pussy hurts. Let's give him a shoulder to cry on.
The guides on this site are a good place to start. I got a lot more use out of them than from most of the other professors and advisors at my school.
If you find a firm that doesn't want hard work and performance, and they would rather hire their cousins friend's son, stay far away from them (and short the stock). Money loves smarts and hard work. Don't be fooled otherwise.
On a side note, what exactly IS hard work? Is it a combination of tenacity, determination, sacrifice, and focus (*that's what I believe)? I guess when it hurts is when you know you're "hard working". Perhaps not. Perhaps the "hard worker" is the addict who loves their job and is perfectly content with a 7AM-9PM work schedule, but at the same time doesn't see it as being "hard" at all. Ah, just throwing out a little philosophy.
^ No I totally understand what you mean, and I agree with you on what hard work actually is.
Lastly- PLEASE don't try to play the disadvantaged kid card because when it comes to the high standards and fierce competition in the banking job market- everyone is disadvantaged and most are actually much more disadvantaged then you.
I have a friend who said he's willing to work "24 hours a day" for a job in finance, even at an entry level analyst position so I gave him an excel file and asked him to do a simple reconciliation between two large worksheets and figure averge price per CUSIP and he couldn't figure out how even though all you needed was simple math and the vlookup function. Needless to say I didn't refer him for the open analyst position despite him graduating from NYU (which I know isn't Ivy league) with a 3.6 GPA.
Seriously? You learn on the job.
You are coming to a place where most people work 100+ hour a week and you asking them if they respect handwork any more? lol hard-work is not as prestigious as it was once because now a common man or entry level man works for 100+ hours in finance. It is not something which is highly revered it is just the basic requirement. lol
You went to a baby ivy (don't know what it means) but you still ended in blue collar jobs? How? I know so many people who never went to a college but they still ended up in white collar jobs.
I wish you all the best and advice you to adjust your thought process.
Post your resume
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