How many birds are in the bush?
About Me -
Sophomore from non-target, economics/philosophy major, good grades, have done several internships at finance related boutique shops. Always loved stocks and always will, end goal is to get to the buyside, whatever that takes
Problem -
Have two offers available for the summer. One is Operations at BB, which means mundane resume line, networking opportunities, and potentially higher pay for the summer (errh... but greed is sooo good). The other one is junior analyst position at $1 billion long/short fund that has made a name for itself in the last 2 years (but still relatively unknown outside the niche/circle).
More about the Situation-
I've been interning with the hedge fund since mid-Jan; it's a great learning opportunity, have really enjoyed my work so far and love the people there. It's pretty intense since I work there three full days a week this semester, and I expect a even higher learning curve if I go for the summer. However it's really unclear whether this will lead to a full time position eventually, because you'll be competing with guys just graduated from Columbia Business, geared up with Wall street experience prior to that... whereas experience at BBs gives you a safety net of some sort... and might make getting into IB junior summer easier if that's the necessary detour?
All opinions are deeply appreciated and you have my sincere gratitude.
Take the hedge fund job, ops to FO is in no way guaranteed and a $1bn fund is big enough that people will have heard of it.
This.
Agree with Kenny... go with the HF gig and continue to build the relationship. Your performance there will open doors if it is solid, and you could potentially skip the whole 2 year IB stint most take to get to the buyside. On the other hand, as Kenny also touched on, the fund is significant enough that people will have heard of it, and if you network, BB IBD opportunities will open up for sure.
Keep in mind you have two and half years to prove yourself to this firm. Keep interning there during the school year and by the time you graduate, you'll know way more than any MBA.
go for the HF and never look back
Another thing-a legitimate fund isn't keeping a sophomore around part-time for their health. If they are offering you this opportunity it's because they like you (and therefore are inclined to help you, either by offering you a full-time gig or helping you find one) and/or you have some connections (and therefore they are inclined/obligated to help you, either by offering you a full-time gig or helping you find one).
Even if the HF doesn't lead to a full-time job -- and if they don't have a history of undergrads, it may not -- it's miles better than back office and will give you real credibility for full-time positions elsewhere. The extra money you make at the operations job is pennies relative to your long-term earnings, too.
hedge fund job
guys really really helpful. Thanks for everything. Simply love WSO
Then you should stick around and add some value after you've been working at that HF for a while, I'm sure there are plenty of people on here that wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts!
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