Since this forum was helpful for me eventually making my move into ER, I figured I'd share how I ended up in ER.
I had no idea what I wanted to do specifically in school. I didn't put much thought into what career I wanted to do in school and had the mentality that if I got good grades the rest would work itself out (mistake). I also didn't hang out with many other finance kids so I didn't get much exposure to what fields people were landing internships in etc...
I did know that I had an interest in equity/financial markets but did not know much beyond that.
I spent my first two summers working non-internship jobs. My first summer I worked at Wal-mart as a cashier and my second summer helping with landscaping. My junior year internship was my first 'real' finance experience. I worked in a rotational for a F500 company doing controller work... and I absolutely HATED it.
I knew that was not the path for me. It was a boring, monotonous 9-5 and I got no exposure to the markets in any sense of the word. I still tried my best in the role but knew I needed something else. So I chose not to go back and look for any job that was remotely close to Wall-Street.
Through my school' s job board I landed a FT offer at a BB in risk management. This was honestly pure luck given I knew nothing about risk but the department was expanding and needed more spaced beyond their intern class. That job was a great starting point.
Although I was fortunate to land the job I knew it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do for a career, it was closer but not a great match. Lucky for me though it exposed me to different areas within the bank and I came across ER.
After learning more about it I decided it was something I wanted to pursue. I game planned how to make my exit to this field, knowing it was not an easy jump to make. I passed CFA L1 and began looking. After maybe 7 rejections I finally landed a gig at another BB in research.
All-in-all it was a long process but I'm glad to finally be in a spot that matches my interests. And although this isnt a terrible descriptive post I figured I'd share to demonstrate that you might not land your dream job out of college and that is ok.
If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to help as well; below are also some posts I've made throughout the process seeking advice.
Thanks for sharing! Would you mind sharing what your interview process was like? What did you do from a networking standpoint to get the interviews, and then how were your interviews structured? Just curious as to how in-depth your stock pitches were, if you had a modeling test, etc. Thanks!
Sed quia placeat tempora aliquam et. Repudiandae perferendis repellat sed dolores et. Ab voluptatum soluta autem dicta nulla voluptate voluptatem itaque.
Quas fuga dignissimos similique. Quis cumque sint aut delectus voluptate quam adipisci facilis. Quaerat nisi blanditiis quam rerum ea ex rerum ut. Numquam quas possimus eligendi corporis. Animi nemo ut deleniti nobis doloremque vel. Quisquam tempore sed qui sed.
Quas ut voluptas dolor. Sed voluptatum qui nihil impedit maiores rem earum eligendi. Officia architecto atque aperiam sint. Omnis modi quaerat laudantium ut temporibus eos cum.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...