FT BB trading VS Ivy league education / environment
Hi all,
Now I have a tough decision to make. On the one hand, I was admitted to an ivy league as a junior transfer. If I decide to transfer, then I have to spend 2 years there. On the other hand, I got a return offer in a BB trading desk which I do really like. But in order to get that, I am required to graduate in 1 year which is executable if I do not transfer.
Then the question comes to: FT trading job VS Ivy league education / environment.
BTW, I have never been to the States before....
Any thoughts would be appreciated. I know I have to make the decision by myself in the end. But I just need ur opinions. Please assume I do not have any bias now. Thanks.
this makes no sense please rephrase
which ivy?
just graduate and do the job well then go to a top tier mba later on if youre gonna potentially need to switch careers and want the ivy branding
^^^ What short said.
Save the cash, get the FT offer, join the non-target club of MDs and managers who run the show at banks, worry about prestige later.
non-target representing
What this man said...non-targets rule the world
^^^ what illiniprogrammer said
The real point of going to an Ivy league school is to get a FT offer anyway. Banking on getting an other offer on an even better desk two years from now seems rather risky.
How is this even a question? Turn down a job for another year in school so you can maybe be lucky enough to get the same job after haha? It's unbelievable how mch this site jerks off to prestige haha.
I'm a major prestige whore but forget the ivy in this case, this isn't even a question
This is why no one likes asians. Holy shit. You must honestly be retarded.
Let me guess. When applying to schools, you also went down the list of the top 10 or so according to US News and chose the highest ranked one that would accept you?
There's a lot more to life than being a trader in a bank - an Ivy league brand name is going to stay with you forever - and if the job situation is so bad at that point, you'd be at risk of losing yours anyway.
Do the transfer, enjoy the life experience and prestige, intern again, get offer again. Job done...
Sure. Things like family, friends, and whatever it is that you believe puts the meaning into life. But in general, money ranks above prestige. In particular, it is better to be working at a bank bringing home the big bucks than carrying a bunch of prestige along with $50K in debt at 8% that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy and losing sleep over it every night.
Additionally, clearing the hurdle from a state school adds an additional level of prestige and puts you in a club within finance that the private school kids can't really get into (unfortunately even the smart ones.)
You've got three experienced industry guys- all at BBs or high-end prop shops- telling you to take the offer and don't look back. Honestly I am surprised there's even a debate.
Prestige has an NPV. And life experience cannot be bought, most certainly not at that age.
what if he subsequently wants to get into an industry that's more brand-name orientated that finance?
what if he loses his job within the short term at the BB, and can't get a new one?
this club you've invented does not exist, a more selective education is always viewed positively
nothing has been said about a loan, you're simply projecting your views onto someone else
Just because you're a programmer at a Tier 3 bank, you don't get to dispense advice like it's the holy truth of god...
Life experience is helpful. If the OP prefers the life experience of working on a trading desk to being in college (which he has already spent two years on), OP should obviously choose the life experience of working in trading rather than spending an extra $50K on school.
Then he will have Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Citadel, or some other name on his resume and folks will know he's pretty darned smart. Then he'll only be jobless rather than jobless and $50K in debt like he'd be if he made the boneheaded move of going to a private school AFTER getting a solid offer. Sure, but clearing a higher hurdle overall to get in is viewed more positively, and the club definitely exists. I'm a desk quant at a Tier 1 bank who foolishly turned down a great job opportunity at a lesser-known but now Tier 1 hedge fund out of school. So I know what I'm talking about- perhaps a little more than I'd like.Experience and hard work always trumps education.
It's three industry folks vs one insecure Princeton senior- likely insecure because he doesn't have a job offer and wishes he had the OP's. OP can make his own conclusions- the experienced folks in the room have spoken. As for the guy arguing for prestige- you do realize that it all comes down to the interview rather than the resume when it comes to getting the job. Lose the negative attitude and entilement mentality and you'll start getting offers.
I'm a trader at a tier 1 (actual tier 1, not Barclays) hedge fund, and I am neither US nor Ivy educated - I started out in 2008, have been working 3 years, and have got where I am via hard work, rather than outstanding grades/alumni/connections.
LOL. I happen to be the CEO of JP Morgan- you can be anyone you want on an anonymous online forum. If you really were who you said you were, your story would be a counterexample to your claims. More likely, you are an angry and burnt-out college senior who has been trying to coast on his prestige.
I'm stepping out of this thread - any review of my posts via yours will clearly show your lack of industry knowledge and bias against private universities.
Just because you did what you did does not make it the optimal path; that applies to everyone, including myself. Based on my life, experience, and hindsight, I know i'd sure as hell rather take the Ivy route.
Just out of curiosity, do you happen to be of Asian descent?
But even if its all hunky-dory- you should realize that WITHIN elite finance areas ivy degrees appear to be as common as dirt. And common things aren't really prestigious are they? Maybe if he leaves finance though...
Reality's post are absolutely retarded. There is no guarantee you get an offer at any point in the future, regardless of where you go to school. What field do you know that puts more weight on prestige than finance? Having a BB job offer carries significantly more weight than having an ivy league pedigree. Plenty of ivy kids get left out of the mix every year. You are the only idiot here saying he should waste his time and money to end up in literally the exact same spot a couple years down the road
You guys don't see the genius of Reality's posts. Keeping this kid out of the market just makes it easier for all of us.
You're looking at this from the wrong side of things. 1. Some of us have offers that assign groups after training is over. I think we are all secretly hoping he's in our analyst class which ensures one more person to get stuck with a shitty group increasing our odds of getting the group that we want.
Or, there's always the chance that deep inside, we actually are good people and genuinely want to help this poor kid out. / he's probably a troll anyways.
Blanditiis omnis quidem tenetur non deserunt delectus ut iure. Suscipit tempore ut quae et nulla dolore. Qui placeat autem sint. Quis molestias rerum maiores nihil iusto quibusdam. Aut consectetur pariatur at eaque in ratione.
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...
Sint dolor dolores debitis qui quod sit asperiores ex. Numquam sed rem autem accusamus dolorem. Ut ipsam qui maiores et maxime id. Quia ipsum quia maxime atque iste eos omnis.
Quam aliquid quos quibusdam repellendus quo pariatur. Ut et impedit eum facere cum nam quia. Est adipisci iusto saepe voluptatem ad nostrum. Suscipit dolorem numquam libero illo porro sit cupiditate officiis.