How to break into markets - no experience

Hello guys,

I'm a recent economics graduate from an unknown university in southern Italy and I'm currently about to start a MSc in Finance in a pretty reputable European university. I'll try to be as concise as possible and I hope that what I'm writing doesn't sound delusional to you.

First of all, I want to be honest with myself and with you about who I really am. I'm not exactly that guy who has grown up with a clear objective of breaking into finance. I was a lazy student in high school and chose the economics major almost by mistake. However, as my studies went on, I started feeling myself really passionate about my study subjects and managed to graduate in time with very good grades. During the last year, I also developed a huge interest for finance and especially for markets, and this is why I decided one year ago to start my application process for top tier universities in Europe. I eventually came up with an offer from one of them and I actually see this as a potential turning point for my career. Though I'm aware of course that your university alone will take you nowhere.

Regarding my career goals, I'm not interested in IBD at all. I have researched a lot during the last months and realized that this is not the kind of job I would like to do, and I'll be honest saying that I'm not willing to work 80+ hours per week doing something I'm not passionate about. Instead, I feel like a have a huge interest for anything market-related, so I'm naturally more oriented towards an entry-level position in AM, S&T or ER. The problem is that I don't have any kind of practical experience on the field except a curricular internship at a local company (not market-related) where I learned little to nothing new. I read that most guys on this forum competing for markets position had at least 2 or 3 internships before starting the MSc, so I kind of feel myself at a huge disadvantage when it comes to employability. Part of the reasons behind that is that I've grown up in a poor social environment in a land with basically no opportunities in this field, and studied at one of the worst ranked universities in Italy with no connections and no career services, for the aforementioned reasons. Until one year ago I didn't even know what a summer internship was. Don't get me wrong, it's my fault and there's no doubt about it. I should have thought of my career goals before and done my bachelor's at a better uni with more connections and a more stimulating environment. But what's done is done.

What I'm asking you is whether I can compensate for my poor background and lack of experience starting from my MSc degree. After all I'm still young (22), although many guys at my age already have some internship experience. I tried to find some internships for this summer but maybe it's too late and I feel like my current profile will take me nowhere right now. In particular, I would like to hear from people who have some experience with such situations if it's still worth to focus on internships of if I'd better invest my energy on building my knowledge about markets on my own (e.g. reading as much as possible, trading on demo platforms and so on) in order to try to kill hypothetical interviews that I might have straight out of my upcoming MSc program. In summary, I'm highly motivated and willing to do anything possible to reach my goals, but at the current state I'm for obvious reasons behind most of the guys competing for such positions.

I really appreciate any advice you can provide.

 

Voluptatem exercitationem quia dolores inventore. Temporibus voluptas fuga hic eveniet eligendi voluptas aspernatur ipsum. Eaque cumque eos dolores unde et quisquam debitis.

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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”