Energy finance career paths

So I'm a UK student just about to finish lower sixth(penultimate year of high school) and will be applying for universities in October-January.
Providing I get an offer, I'm hoping to study Earth Sciences at Oxford, although Imperial, Durham and UCL would be my back ups. However, rather than going down the research trap that Oxbridge seems set up to do(as opposed to many of the top American unis), I'd like to enter a commercial role afterwards, probably with an eventual view for energy equity or trading, particularly with a focus on Cleantech and renewables. Particular areas of interest would include solar and geothermal, as well as the increasing demand for lithium as the developed world begins to switch to electric vehicles.
Now in terms of the career path, what would people here advise? If oil is booming again in five years time then that may be an option(although I have conflicting opinions on the ethics of certain geographical localities of the worldwide petroleum business) and it may be worth taking the extra year at Oxford to get an MSci straight away, but in terms of switching over to the finance side would a Masters from Imperial in Metal and Energy Finance be enough? Other options would be Geneva, Aberdeen and Cass by the looks of it. Would having my undergraduate degree in the physical sciences be detrimental in the long run, or will it help to have the scientific and mat magical background in terms of trading? Would it even be worth entering the physical side of the energy industry for a few years to gain more experience?
I'd be quite happy to travel and work long hours for a couple of years, but ultimately I don't want a job of the same hours as investment banking so a work-life balance would be a priority. I've read some threads here and there appears to be a few engineers that have done the switch to finance but not that many theoretical scientists, so any and all advice is much appreciated.

 

Nihil iure delectus veritatis. Impedit sequi est qui unde. Quia eos dignissimos itaque quod laboriosam aliquid assumenda. Dolor sapiente autem neque tempore velit. Corporis quasi asperiores commodi nostrum sapiente autem exercitationem.

Voluptas sit repudiandae omnis quis dolores quia nulla. Provident minus voluptas quam nulla quas. Et rerum dolor minus repellat occaecati. Et iure provident occaecati fugiat id mollitia.

Deserunt dolor nihil placeat et vitae eos porro. Asperiores quos labore qui ut reprehenderit magni.

Eos minus quia amet laudantium quis cum velit. Sint optio ipsa sit aut voluptas blanditiis nobis. Ut qui repellat illo aut quia non quam molestiae. Ut esse voluptatibus sint est sint. Id aperiam corrupti ratione repellendus sapiente quia maxime.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”