How to go from Data Science to Investment Banking?
Hello people, I am posting today because I wanted to ask for advice. I am an Economics graduate and will be attending the University of Cambridge in October next year. I have had very diverse experience (internships only) such as the united nations and more recently data science and programming at a startup. I want to transition out of this industry as it is too impersonal to something a little friendlier for social people such as investment banking or management consulting. I would want to work in London after my 1 year masters. I wanted to ask what the best way of breaking into IB is with my kind of background. I feel like my internships are not relevant. I wanted to know what sort of timelines I should be looking out for (A mate told me I should start applying in August before starting my masters). Any advice in the matter would be greatly appreciated. My resume most definitely does not tell a congruent story of knowing what I wanted to do with my life from age 15, but I feel like I have been testing different fields and now have a better grasp of the type of job I would want. I am an international student if that is of any importance.
TDLR: How can I go from very diverse internships into finance?
You want to go into IB because you don't want to do something "impersonal"???
LOL
You have a lot to learn, my friend . . .
Nothing is more impersonal than coding, 0 social interaction...
That's fine and my comment didn't say that coding wasn't impersonal. But if you're moving to IB because that impersonal level of it all is going to go away then you will be surely disappointed.
Thanks for the advice, extremely insightful.
1. Get the DS job 2. Exchange job with me
Call me old fashion, but I prefer earning more while working less than the opposite.
Hey there. Same situation here moving from STEM... and have to say IB is so much better! Yes it’s not all fun and games but you really do interact with more people and for extroverts this can make a huge difference to your energy levels.
Best thing is to craft a story about why IB and focus on a specific turning point. Do NOT say anything negative about your old background just be super positive and find a way to lay out the story so that IB is the natural fit for you. Focus on how excited you’d be for IB and on what you have to offer given your education work ethic curiosity etc.
This is exactly what I was thinking. I think people do not realize how tedious a data science position can be. Would you recommend applying for internships right after my masters to get a foot in the door? Also interested in what was your breaking point and how exactly you broke into the industry. Appreciate the reply mate.
No problem! I got a MS too and honestly (will prob get monkey shit for this) so far grad school was harder than banking... I mean sure you’re not staying up late doing #deals in grad school but advisors and professors have HIGH expectations for you and it’s not like undergrad at all. So I basically stayed up late all the time on my thesis with no end in sight, coding and coding—and not getting paid. It’s tough. And you’re not really going to get much credit for it in IB unfortunately.
I’d say cast a wide net and only apply places where you have or make (ping people on LinkedIn) connections. For me, my parents (who otherwise didn’t know much about IB) happened to know a senior person who put me in touch with recruiting. Luckily, I really hit it off with them and had similar interests. Helped that this was an EB, they have more leeway. Would also target management consulting / MBB. They DO value masters degrees (dep on other experience you could work a year out of grad school and then come in as an Associate rather than Analyst). In IB youre 100% coming in as an analyst, which isn’t so bad given that career progression is rapid relative to other professions.
Most important thing is to network and have a good story down that highlights your assets and makes people root for you as an “underdog”.
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