This post is for all of you out there who have failed to secure that all-important front office IB job that you were craving, and settled for the middle or back office position.

All is not lost yet ... really not lost ...

Let's face it, the majority of users on WSO desire front office IB jobs or something better (PE, HF, etc.). However, we don't get what we always want. This leads us to settle for other roles in the hope that one day we could make the transition to the front office (the odds of this happening are minuscule)

So it's 2004, Brad's got a pile of rejections from all the BB's for his dream IB job. He's worried that he'll have to head back home to Eastern Europe and look for a job. Attending a Semi-Target in the UK was not enough. He thinks maybe he did not network enough, thought the school name alone would get him through the door. All rookie mistakes, which he would not have made if he had access to WSO. Unfortunately, he had never heard of WSO while he was in University.

Eventually Brad moved back to Eastern Europe and was able to secure a middle office position at a boutique IB. However, Brad's boss was nice enough to let him attend certain meetings that would help him in his search for a front office role. Brad never got that desired front office offer, but he did make some very good connections and friends over his 5-year search.

Back to present day, Brad is no longer in the financial sector and now works in the FMCG sector (fast food to be precise). Neither is he flipping burgers nor does he own a few locations of a particular fast food franchise. Brad has built an African fast food empire. All this was possible because of his network of connections and friends he made during his time in Eastern Europe. So together with two of his connections, the "three amigos" set out to revolutionize fast food in Africa (a relatively untapped market). None of the three had ever done business before, in fact the only two common things among the three was that they had a desire to succeed and they all came from the financial sector.

As of yesterday, Brad had this to say:

"I just dropped a huge f****** deposit on a brand new Gulfstream G650"

Monkeys, let the networking games begin!

ALL THIS IS BECAUSE OF NETWORKING.

NETWORKING MATTERS

DISCLAIMER: This article is based of an interview with a family friend. He did not want to disclose too many personal details, hence, the name "Brad"

Every other part of the story is factual.

Well I did it. I landed an offer to be a summer analyst at an investment bank. Breaking into I-banking from a non-target may be a more common occurrence these days, but it is certainly still a challenge. Here are three pieces of advice that definitely helped me in securing an offer.

It's not what you know, it's who you know

I know you've heard this a million times, but it is so crucial coming from a non-target. Reach out to alumni, friends, or friends of friends. Basically anyone willing to lend an ear and possibly help you out. I sent countless "cold" emails out and had 150 contacts by the end of the summer. Furthermore, always try and meet face to face with a contact either it be shadowing for a day or for quick coffee. Putting a name to a face will go really far when it comes around to recruitment season. HR scans through countless resumes every single day. When they get an email from a co-worker asking to check out your resume, it will definitely set you apart.

Internship Experience is vital

Once you establish some connections, be able to impress with your resume. I know it's really tough to find internships following freshman and sophomore year, but whatever you can find in finance, go for it. Coming from a non-target I saw it critical that I was majoring in finance and had a wealth of internship experience within the field. The three internships I had definitely helped me gain skills that are necessary in I-Banking. They were all unpaid, so I had to work odd jobs to support myself financially. In the end, however, it was well worth it. Work ethic is crucial in this pursuit.

Go the extra mile

The worst they can say is no. I told myself a lot this past summer. I sent out countless emails, had numerous informational calls over the phone, and had two self-funded networking trips. On numerous occasions, I was complimented on my persistence and willingness to go the extra mile. Again, it goes a long way in setting yourself apart from the crowd.

A lot of people told me I couldn't do it. I know this is cliche, but you can truly do anything you set your mind to. If you are non-target who wishes to break into I-banking, it is very possible. If you possess the work ethic necessary and stay focused, then go for it. Okay, now I'm starting to sounds like a motivational speaker. Anyways, I hope you find this advice helpful in the long run.

Came across this site a while back trying to figure out what I was going to do with my finance degree. Didn't know my ass from my elbow at the time and was able to learn some good things from browsing the site, and I now have a much better direction and a concrete idea of the path I want to take. Wanted to thank the people who offer legit insight, and the people who don't, since you getting flamed has educational value as well.

Thanks.

I can still only identify my ass in a lineup of elbows 3/5 times, but I'm getting there.

Greetings fellow primates,

I am new to WSO but have been lurking for a few days since joining and am gaining a feel for the culture and types of posts that are helpful to others. I joined WSO because of a recent success I've had in my job hunt that has landed me in a role more relevant to the community, and I thought I could learn a lot by plugging in here. Hopefully my story will give motivation and hope to others that may need it.

In the hopes of avoiding "TL;DR", the punchline first: I made a transition from investment operations at a large global AM firm into MM PE at a young but growing firm.

Background

I attended a top 25 undergraduate university (in the USA) that is a target school for many top consulting firms, IBD's, and other swanky establishments. I double majored in financial econ and political science but also did a non-degree yearlong program with the undergraduate business school. I didn't realize I was interested in finance until later than probably most here (my junior year) when I took a class on financial market theory, but I definitely feel in sweet nerdy love with it. However, I never got interested in IB. If anything, at the time I would have loved to go the buy-side research route. I didn't know much at all about typical Wall Street career paths or even much of the substance of what IBD's did, which may not be surprising having been an econ major and more exposed to theory than practice. Basically, I was a late bloomer and paid for it. Additionally, it was much harder to network and get interviews in the field for econ majors because our undergrad business school was so great. I never got any great internships to speak of. For majors outside of business at my school, consulting was a hugely popular pursuit. I succumbed to the peer pressure and interviewed for those roles (not MBB but Deloitte and a few smaller ones), but my heart was never in it and I couldn't close in final round case interviews. Fall of my senior year, I ended up taking one of two jobs offers I had, in investment operations (the other offer being outside of finance- the reason I turned it down). A year and nine months later, I'll be starting as an associate at a small PE firm in my area.

Starting Out In Ops

Only a couple of months after I'd started in ops, I realized I would need more. I needed to start building my skill set and my network and be relentless about pursuing opportunities as they came up. I wasn't targeting a specific role- I would have taken IB, PE, ER, anything that was more analytical and still in the field. That's because I was in it more for the experience and knowledge than money (but yea, money and prestige are always nice and don't pretend they aren't). I was hungry for that type of role.

A few months after I started at the AM, I experienced my first Wall Street-style interview in NYC. I was great with current events and behavioral questions but bombed accounting and was meh with the brain teasers. I didn't get the job. I wasn't going to get by on my wits this time around, as I had most of my life.

I had planned to do the CFA program since college, and I started it last year. I passed the Level I in December and am slated for the Level II in June. I'm sure this helped on the margin, but as others may have mentioned it is more of a buy side credential and may not be helpful if you're pursuing a sell side role initially. But I enjoy the technical knowledge and it was good for me to develop more financial statement analysis skills especially.

Interviews

I had several other interviews between that NYC one and getting the PE offer. None in between were IB or PE. Last November, I noticed a job posting for a PE associate on my school's alumni jobs website. I had not really considered PE, as it seemed pretty far out of reach for me. I thought I'd end up in a more analytical public equity or fixed income research role. However, the more I learned about it, the more interested I became (getting exposure to deals, financial modeling, better hours than IB, learning the operational and strategic sides of the businesses too- what's not to like?)

The role was a with a young firm started by a fellow alum (and H/S/W MBA, GS IB alum). I reached out and we met several times over the coming months. He had me complete a couple of interview projects, one being qualitatively analyzing a company and the other building an lbo model for a real private MM company along with a PowerPoint to potential investors. No questions were allowed. I had to soak up a bunch of knowledge about LBO's for the second part, as I basically knew nothing, but I was pleased with the final product.

Partially to my surprise, I ended up beating out dozens of former/current ibankers, MBA's, and who knows who else. Everyone wants to get into PE I guess, even at a very small fund. But the managing partner/founder saw something in me and extended me the offer. While I obviously think he made the right call, I can definitely say I had luck on my side too.

I've obviously taken a non-traditional path into PE. I'm extremely excited to be starting and working extremely closely with the managing partner. I have never done IB but have pretty decent financial knowledge and intuition from my schooling, the CFA program, and exposure to the nuts and bolts of equity and fixed income markets from my ops experience. I would, however, love advice from others in PE (or IB, for that matter) about what skills I may need to brush up on, books to read, ways to organize work, etc. I want to soak up some of your wisdom!

Tips

Finally, my tips, humbly submitted, for anyone looking for their first Wall Street-style role, be it PE/IB/ER/HF/etc.:
- Know your accounting. Never underestimate its importance. This is especially true the more ambiguous or complex the financial statements get. Knowing the why and how behind the numbers is invaluable.
- Network. I shouldn't have to sell you on this, since most posters here will emphasize it. This becomes (imho) more important the further you are removed from undergrad or an MBA program.
- No matter how smart you are, respect the value of hard work and learning from others.
- Persevere. There have been stories posted here that involved much steeper uphill battles than mine. Allow me to add to the pile of convincing testimony that perseverance is the secret sauce to fulfilling your dreams.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who posts the great content on WSO! I have recently accepted an offer to be an analyst at a smaller boutique PE firm in Chicago! I came from a non-target with an average GPA, but thanks to all of the insightful content (and working my ass off to nail the case study), I got it!

Background: I went to a non-target, had a 2.7 GPA, and didn't study finance in college. Ended up landing a job in ER.

I apologize in advance that I have failed to contribute as much as I should to these forums. WSO was one of the main tools I used and find myself looking at boards plenty often.

My story: Throughout college I never knew what I wanted to do. I was a curious kid who liked figuring out how things work. I liked investing and always had wall st. (specifically ER) in the back of my mind.

It wasn't until late in my collegiate career that I wanted to get into ER. In fact, with 4 weeks until graduation, I decided to decline pervious job offers to pursue a career in ER.

If anyone would like to know my entire story as to how I did it, I will post in detail my full background. For now, I will tell you the most important tips that I have for anyone to break in,

#1 - Networking and how not to do it

You've heard it a million times that you should network. In my opinion, I think the term networking is overused and has been misconstrued ever since LinkedIn came about. Most people think networking is establishing some sort of business connection (which it really is). But in my opinion, a business connection can only go so far.

I set up a "networking" meeting about 3x a week for 4 months. The people that helped me the most were the people in which I developed friendships with rather than a "connection".

Moral of the story, don't network. Develop some sort of relationship and don't be a some kid just trying to get the hook up on a job. Express genuine interest in their careers and lives. Be a genuine human being. It's pretty simple.

I knew nobody in finance. I cold called people and expressed genuine interest in not a job, but learning about their job and what suggestions they had for me.

#2 - Don't apply to jobs, you're wasting your time

I interviewed at about 6 shops (1 for IB, 5 for ER) ended up getting 2 offers (one buy side and one sell side) and made it to the final round at multiple MM shops.

One guy told me that at his old shop (MM) that they never hired a guy that they somehow didn't know. Don't just apply to a bunch of banks cause you are truly wasting your time. And no, don't go through HR.

Out of all of the places I interviewed, only two places had the job posted some where (yes that is illegal) but that is just how the game is played.

#3 - "Walk me through your resume"

On this forum, people stress technical questions and how to answer them. Stop focusing on how to walk somebody thru a DCF and get them to engage and buy into you.

This is the most important part of the interview hands down. Get your story down and practice it. Everybody has a story. Tell it.

Nobody cares if you know the technicals. You know why? Because learning how to connect the three financial statements, model, and do a DCF is easy. They want to know if you're the type of guy they can work with for 12-15 hours a day and not want to kill. It's all about the Fit. It was apparent that I didn't fit in at some shops and I was fine with that.

#4 - If you are from a non-target, embrace it

The best shop that I interviewed at really liked the fact that I wasn't from a target school. In fact, only one guy had actually heard of my school. I ended up making it to the final two and all of the interviewers really appreciated it even though they were all from targets.

I apologize in advance for the poor writing.

I have been browsing this forum for almost two years now since the beginning of my senior year and thought I would share my story on breaking into ER.

I was never a great student and actually barely graduated high school while focusing on sports way too much. I do not believe I turned in a single homework assignment in four years. During this time, my parents did give me some money to invest as I was always interested in the stock market. Long story short, I ended up graduating h.s. with a 2.2 and headed off to play junior hockey before college.

This is when I got into a major car accident that caused me to miss 3/4 of the entire junior hockey season. So, I started to take some classes at a no name university that I eventually attended after sports did not pan out well for me (I played d2 hockey fresh yr and walked onto basketball jr. yr).

Then as sports were not the focus anymore you think I would start getting better grades right? Wrong. I ended up with a 1.9 and had to petition to stay in school which I got lucky with. As of now my major was I.T. and I had no clue on how I could start a career in high finance.

So, my grades were still terrible going into my junior year when I realized I needed to step my game up. I retook classes I failed and took 40 credits in my jr year with a 3.95 GPA. What is funny is that my GPA was barely a 3.0 at this point. I ended up getting an internship for my senior year at a small wealth management firm near my school. Ultimately, all I did was perform asset allocations for mom & pop clients who had no clue about the markets. I quickly realized I did not want to work on the retail side of the business.

Once the final semester of school came (still getting close to a 4.0 every semester) I literally networked with the entire LinkedIn of people that had anything to do with equity research. I talked on the phone for countless hours and maintained countless relationships which a few actually turned into interviews eventually. I did not get the offer from these interviews but it shows the power of networking. I then interviewed at an investment consultant and got offered a job right after graduation. I ended up turning it down which everyone in my circle said was the dumbest thing ever.

So what did I do? I kept calling everyone and emailing analysts, took the BIWS modeling course, and wrote numerous stock reports to send off. I was eventually sending off a model with a research report when networking and it turned out to help.

After all my efforts of working for free on pointless stock reports in my own house, I got offered an UNPAID internship in NYC doing ER. I took it right away and didn't even think about the unpaid part. I had some money saved up from trading proceeds over the years and got an AirBnB closet room for three months. At the end of the internship, due to terrible luck the associate I replaced came back because they did not enjoy their new job. So there I was, out again. But, at this point I was still networking every day and had 4 interviews lined up early last month.

I got an interview at a firm and was ultimately rejected for not being experienced even though everyone thought highly of me. I was losing faith until, I got a call from the same firm about another open position and they came to me first. I spoke with the analyst on the phone, did a modeling test, and sent them my research and modeling examples and the rest is history. I now am working full-time as an ER associate at a boutique research shop.

It was not a conventional path and it took an extra year after graduation to get in but, I am happy with my accomplishment given the disadvantages I had put myself in for the past 8 years. Never give up, never surrender.

Phewwww, it's been a strange ride, fellas.

I would like to gloat about my recent career revelations, while hopefully providing some advice/insight to the people who read.

I have just finished up a GE-type Financial Management Program at an F100 firm with an offer for an analyst role within the company's Global M&A group.

Before coming to this company, I came out of a non-target to work at a very small HF (click on my prof to see my original post on that), but decided to leave after a year and a half. Long-story-put-very-shortly: fund was small, I was being paid shittily & wanted to grow fund, boss was happy with having fund that small, so I left. I am also on L2 of the CFA.

Although the HF didn't work out, it definitely helped me to sneak into the F100 rotational program. Side note: I highly recommend these programs; you get vast exposure in a relatively small amount of time. During my interview with the M&A team after my rotations, they were intrigued by the past experience & the CFA, which no question made me stand out amongst my peers. I will now start for the group in a couple months, working on the analysis, execution, & integration of strategic acquisitions for the company & also assisting in any divestitures of subsidiaries/businesses.

Always wanting to break into the buyside of M&A, this is a dream job for me. Although it is not PE, I actually find this to be a more appealing role. Now that I have developed ties to this company over the past couple years, I could not find anything more exciting than directly helping the firm create value like this.

But the reason I decided to post is this:
there are many avenues to get into this business, and more broadly, whatever you want to do. Sometimes, the cookie cutter path (Ivy>IBD>MBA>PE) may seem like the only one. Certainly felt that way to me at most times. But I'm here to tell you f**k that s**t. I can also tell you that I have never had an IBD job, and have never had to work a 70-hour week, let alone those horror-story-esque 100-hour weeks you hear about.

This is very cliche, but I am going to say it anyways: work ethic, persistence, lots of patience, and a little bit of luck is really all you need to get in, and to reach any goal you're pursuing. You might need to take some "stepping-stone" jobs that you don't wanna do - trust me some of my rotations have been mind-numbing, or knuckle down on the CFA/MBA while working, but if you want it bad enough, make the most of your opportunities, and get a couple of good breaks, you can get there.

And to those people who read this and say "Yeah, that worked out for you, but it's still rare", I can happily point you to so so many similar stories on on the first page of this forum alone.

Feel free to reach out with any questions or anything. Always love giving back to the site I've utilized for so long!

Technically this story starts in 2011. I was a philosophy major, planning to go pursue a PHD after undergrad and spend the rest of my life debating the Big Questions with old fogies in dusty offices for peanuts. Then I went to Paris to study abroad and I realized: I would really like to make a lot of money.

Fast forward on year, where I did a summer internship at Merril Lynch PWM that my uncle arranged. From there I finagled a great internship in PWM at JPM. (Story here: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/its-all-abou...) I got really lucky and ended up on a desk of a former investment banker who had gone into the private bank as an MD and we got to work on some PE deals because of that. But, after a summer where I learned a ton but hated my life, I decided the stiff banking world wasn't for me. So even though I didn't have another offer, I declined the FT role.

After that, I had a terrible job at a shitty commercial real estate company. I thought I was being hired to evaluate real estate deals, and instead I was getting coffee and updating the CRM. I was fired after three months.

Regretting my stupid decision to turn down JPM and not knowing where to go next, I did what any 22 year old former philsophy student with no job prospects and $5k in their bank account would do: I backpacked south east asia for four months.

I knew I wanted to stay in the finance world, and after my exposure to PE deals at JPM I knew I was a deal junkie. But I felt like the investment banking world wasn't for me. I felt like the industry was really antiquated, and there had to be a better way to do that job. So I did some research while traveling and I found a company called Axial. It's a tech start up with a platform that connects buyers and sellers around lower and middle market deals. I thought Ah HA! These guys get it. It shouldn't be so hard to find each other. I NEED to work there.

I had a phone interview while I was abroad, but nothing more. I came home from Asia and two weeks later I moved to New York with $500 in my bank account and stars in my eyes. After a really rigorous interview process, Axial hired me. Thank god.

I spent the next two years talking to CEOs who were thinking about selling but didn't know how to find buyers, buyers who didn't know how to find intermediaries or CEOs, and intermediaries who needed a better way to get coverage of lower middle market PE shops and strategics. I learned everything about what it looks like when PE shops are doing a great job on business development. Working for a start up with immersive, and exhausting. I started out making $60k. I made some lifelong friends, and we'd work until 8 or 9 and then go to the bar and talk about work for a few more hours. I was promoted three times in two years and I wasn't looking for a job until a recruiter approached me after I wrote an article entitled "5 reasons to sell to a family office".

It was a family office that focuses only in direct investments in lower middle market companies. I wasn't sure I wanted to pursue it, but I went to the interview. And I fell in love. What they were offering me was a Director role in business development. But it's so much more than that. My boss told me during the interview to think of this job as an apprenticeship in private equity. My job is to source deals, but I can get as involved as I want on the other stuff. I've been here six weeks and have gone to two board meetings, have listened to negotiations for an add-on, and next week I'm going to a site visit to look at a company I sourced.

So basically, now my job is to shop for companies with someone else's money. And I get paid 6 figures to do that. Best job ever.

It felt like a long and very circuitous way to get here, but I want to thank you guys. I have asked for advice here every step of the way. My advice to young monkeys: 1) if you get a chance to get published, take it. 2) you don't always have to go the obvious route. It's much more fun if you don't. 3) Take yourself seriously. What I mean by that is that just because you are young and don't know everything yet doesn't mean you can't add value. Know what you're worth and be confident in that--it shows.

Thanks again WSO! Also, if you're a banker...send me your deals! ;)

There are a couple different paths that you can take as a finance major:

1. Commercial Banking
2. corporate finance
3. Financial Planning
4. Hedge Funds
5. Insurance
6. Investment Banking
7. Money Management
8. Private Equity
9. Real Estate
10. Other

I picked investment banking...

In investment banking you will be working with companies, CEOs, CFOs, and other corporate strategy personal to help grow their business. This can be helping them with buying another company or issuing capital. They may also be interested in selling their company. It is your job to advise them and help them pick the best option. This requires analytical due diligence to guarantee that you are advising the company in the right direction. The analytical due diligence is where the majority of the hours come from. You may have to change the growth rate on a model several times and re-run the due diligence to guarantee that you are really giving the best advice.

This part of the job is basically the sole factor for burnout. If you can make it through the tedious due diligence work and constant revision, the rest is easy, in my opinion. -less alcohol, now only have a couple drinks once per week. This is assuming that the conclusion you have come up with for the client is correct, if it is not, the whole deal can blow up. The other half of the job is meeting with clients and pitching the material that you have created. If you are a social person and

can intelligently express your ideas you should have no problem. Building the model are fun and interesting, but my favorite part of the job is meeting with the clients hearing their stories and helping their business. Investment banking can be a very rewarding career financially and can be fulfilling emotionally knowing that you are helping business, which is helping people and communities. There are people who get into this business and abuse it, but they are easy to spot and usually are unhappy with their life. I have seen it too much during my interviewing and work at various banks. If you are only doing something for the money, stop, and doing something that makes you happy. For me that is banking.

Everyone ask me about my social life. Since I became a banker it is different than before, but it is better. I go out to nicer places, eat better food, and can afford to go to different entertainment events like concerts. Just the other day I saw Markus Schulz, front row, and got his autograph, stuff I could never do before. My time is much more limited than other people's time, so when I want to do something I make it happen. My time is valuable to me, so I don't waste it watching re-runs of friends or surfing facebook. Too many people waste their time doing dumb stuff, and banking has taught me the value of time and how important my family is to me. I make time to call them and I make time to hang out with my friends.

As far as relationships, I have a great girlfriend. She is extremely understanding of my career and we get along great. She also works in finance and knows the pressure/stress that I am under daily. She is very supporting and isn't out for my money. We don't live together and she pays her own bills. When we go out to eat or for entertainment, she always offers to pay half and pulls her weight. Couldn't ask for a better girlfriend, the key was building the relationship before I became a banker. I can't speak to starting a new relationship while being a banker, but from watching the guys I work with it looks very, very hard. It is also who you target, a lot of people play up the investment banking job to girls, don't do that! Meet a girl that likes you for you, not your job.

A lot of people talk about how great the money is and they buy all these things. I am saving money and paying college debt right now, but if I wanted I have the money to buy things that I have always dreamed about having, like nice cars, a house, and awesome clothing. I don't do this though, and I don't really plan to until I start a family. Right now I am happy wearing old clothes, I sold my car because I live in the city, and I have a good, but not over the top apartment. Don't get me wrong, I wear nice business clothing, but I have learned to be happy with what I have. My life style is one that could be sustained on roughly over minimum wage.

I came from a non-target west coast school and a family where I was the first college graduate. My dad and mom worked very hard to make sure we made it every month. I had no contacts in banking when I started school and no contacts in any other finance areas. When finance classes began and I saw investment banking described in a book it caught my eye. The social and analytical aspect was a perfect combination for me. Since I was at a non-target there was no information about banking or how to break-in. I turned to the only place I knew, the internet. In my searches I found Wall Street Oasis and Linkedin. I began to read all the guides about how to break-in and I began to build out my Linkedin.

Going to school during the day and cold emailing people on Linkedin at night. I was also reading everything investment banking related that I could find and studying technical questions like a mad man. At this time I also joined my school's small investment group and began to develop my analytical skills. With much effort and no luck I wasn't able to get an investment banking internship. My first internship was on the east coast working for a major bank on the community banking side. I got this internship from cold calling and emailing people at the bank.

My senior year of college was deja vu, a lot of networking and hard work that didn't land me an investment banking job. I only had two investment banking final round interviews. One at Goldman Sachs in New York, which I got from cold calling, and another at the bank I currently work at, so I won't name it. After finishing school I got a job working on the Asset Management side of the same banking I interned with previously. I still wanted investment banking and continued to network.

It was extremely difficult being from a non-target school and interviews for investment banking were basically impossible to get. I took the asset management job and continued the grind of networking. Now that I was in a major city networking was easy! I got coffee with everyone I could and grew my network tremendously. Within less than 6 months I was having interviews at investment banks and received an offer. At times I wanted to quit and give up the dream, but I knew I could do it. If you are still trying, don't give up, keep trying, you can make it!

I was a first generation college graduate, with no contacts in the industry, from a non-target west coast school, with no investment banking internships, and I made it. Hard work pays off. Keep networking, keep studying, keep trying!

We're all gonna make it brah.

Mod Note: Best of WSO, this was originally posted April 2013

To all the Non-Target kids out there this story is for you. I attend a small liberal arts college in the South, think College of Charleston not Vandy. I had wanted to go into IBD, but figured when I was denied at Dartmouth and would attend my College I had no shot at it, and began pursuing other interests.

Well over Winter Break I got back into WSO and became infatuated with working on Wall Street again. I knew I was behind with recruiting mostly already having taken place. In fact I applied to three BB freshman/Sophomore internships, but could not apply to 2 others because I missed the New Years deadline. I called every alum working in Finance of any type, and in any city. I just wanted to hear the whole story of what each job entailed. Through this networking I got a connection at JPMorgan to help pass along my resume for a freshman/Sophomore internship in the bank. I was excited and figured I would be doing this non IB job but have that JPM name.

Things got better for me in the spring. Come April I still had not heard back from JPM, was not denied, but clearly was not looking good for me. I continued calling alumni and had a great call with a Hedge Fund PM and talked about his report and he was impressed I even read it. Our call ended well and I did not think much of him, until he sent his new report to me and I thanked him again and told him how interesting it was. This happened once more and he emailed back asking if I was interested in an internship, it would be unpaid, but it was experience. I jumped at the chance, and though I am working another full-time job, I know it will be worth it in the end. Oh and also I just got word that I have been accepted to Dartmouth as a transfer.

I have just begun my journey, but could not be more excited. This HF job is the first one that I have gotten without the help of my father, and it really feels good to see my hard work pay off. Was hoping some color could be provided though about how to go about recruiting next year without a real GPA at Dartmouth? Thanks for any help

I am still not sure if this will add any value or if anyone will find this useful, but I've seen a couple of "Too old to break into IB?" topics lately and I thought I'd share my journey with you. The advice and stories I've read on this forum have helped me maintain my sanity after more rejections than I wish to remember.

The following story is not a story of someone from a troubled background, poor family or anything that would excuse my failures. I simply made poor choices along the way, for which I had to pay the price. My story begins with me just having graduated from high school and it's a long and complicated one, so bear with me or skip ahead to the last few paragraphs.

18 years old

University is free back home, and since my high school grades were decent, I was good at maths and had no clue what I wanted to do next, I enrolled in a five year joint BSc and MSc programme in mathematics. Boy, was that a mistake!

After one semester I hated it and decided to take a break from uni to pursue a career as a painter and theatre designer. Wrap your head around that! I still look back and want to timetravel and bitchslap 18 year-old me.

19 - 22 years old

While I was passionate about art, I was utterly mediocre at it. Combine that with the fact that being an artist, even a talented one, doesn't pay sufficiently to make a living, reality came knocking after three years of failing to make it in my poorly chosen pursuit. I needed to do something else in my life, but I had no clue where to start. Hence, not knowing what else to do, I went back to uni to finish my degree.

22 - 25 years old

3 years passed by and I was sick of it. I simply was not interested in math. I had to push through and figure out what I would do afterwards. I had somehow managed to pass all the courses and all I had left to do was to write a dissertation to get my degree. I didn't write my dissertation. Instead, I took a second break from uni to start my own business.

25 - 27 years old

I don't know whether I had a high level of risk-tolerance or whether I was simply unaware of the risk involved, but after a series of discussions with my best friend, we decided to start our own business. I was still a student while he had just graduated. We had a decent idea and a solid network of people who would be our potential first clients, so after conducting market research and writing a business plan, we dove in. We bootstrapped the whole thing, and what followed was the two most fun and stressful years of my life.

Aggressive sales, technology and complementary skill sets enabled us to grow the company rapidly. We had 10 employees after one year, captured more than 50% of the market share, revenues were 6 figures and we maintained great margins.

This was my first contact with accounting and finance. Somewhere along the way, I started reading about finance; anything I could get my hands on. I also had money for the first time in my life. I was fulfilled and happy, until I wasn't anymore.

After two years of running the business, an external investor approached me and asked to buy my shares at an attractive price. I knew that my partner did not want any outsiders in the company, so being a good friend and valuing my friendship with the guy, I offered him to buy me out at the same price. No competition, no bullshit. He agreed and to this day we still have a great relationship.

27 - 28 years old

The next natural step for me was to write my damn dissertation and finally get the godforsaken maths degree. However, obligations came knocking: the military. You see, military service is mandatory in my country for a year. While completing my military service, I also managed to finish my dissertation and got the degree. Mid-summer of 2014, I was honorably discharged, had my degree and still had no clue what I would do next.

28-29 years old

I thought maybe I should do something related to consulting or finance. At least, those were careers that had piqued my interest in the past. Or perhaps, I would do a MSc degree somewhere in western Europe. I started researching the world of finance. Eventually, WSO was one of the sites I came across. I read and read; forums, textbooks, financial modelling guides, guides about how to tailor your CV and cover letter for investment banking positions.

I became obsessed. I liked financial modelling, I liked the work that I thought analysts do, so I started applying to positions in London: Off-cycle internships and graduate schemes. I was technically after all, a recent graduate and I also had a unique background. I thought that maybe "I might actually stand a chance" since banks boast on their websites how they welcome diversity and people from various backgrounds, I thought naively.

Right. Out of 100 applications in 4 months, I was invited to only one phone interview. One. And they rejected me of course.

I was 1,500 miles away from London, with no opportunity to network, and a degree from an unknown - to U.K. recruiters - university, which had taken me 10 years to complete. None of my friends or acquaintances even knew what investment banking was; my only source of knowledge and advice was the internet.

And the internet unanimously concluded that I would need some relevant experience under my belt and an MSc degree from the UK if I wanted to stand a chance in recruiting.

So I did what came naturally to me. I went to the offices of a regional bank (multiple times) and offered to work for free in their investment banking division. After two weeks, they interviewed me and I broke in. They didn't have an internship programme, but I guess they liked my persistence or it was pure luck.

December 1st 2014 was my first day at work. There was no training provided and I was initially given menial tasks. Fast forward a few months, I built solid relationships with the team and was given increasingly more responsibility. I had a very close relationship with an MD. He essentially made me his analyst and even tried to get the bank to pay me something, though he didn't succeed. However, I was slowly building my skill set, forming relationships with people in the industry and getting staffed on deals.

Subsequently, the MD encouraged me to apply to an MSc programme in London, which I did and to which I was accepted.

29-30 years old

In the summer of 2015, the bank offered me an analyst position. Bear in mind that although the pay did not compare with pay in western Europe, the economic and political situation in my country was extremely unstable. A "stable" job in an environment like that would have been a blessing to most people. I rejected the offer with the goal to complete an MSc in London and then pursue a career in the city. The people close to me thought I had lost it (to be fair, it wasn't the first time the thought had crossed their mind).

Some insight on how I chose the uni and the MSc programme

Let me make a distinction first. It's not necessarily true that a uni's graduate programme will place as well in IBD as the same uni's undergrad programme. I know because I checked. I checked hundreds of LinkedIn profiles to see specifically where graduate programmes were placing their students. University rankings do not matter. The only thing that matters is how well a uni places at the firms you want to work.

For EU students who don't have a BSc from a UK uni, even if you do a MSc in the UK, recruiters and HR will still prefer people who got their BSc at a UK uni. However, this shouldn't stop you from doing a MSc in the UK or apply for positions. Just be aware of how you are perceived.

I knew that Oxbridge, LSE, LBS, Imperial and Warwick were the main targets for IBD, but I also knew that they would reject me. I applied to LSE which rejected me. And then there were the semi-targets. Location and being able to network was extremely important to me so I chose to attend a uni that is in London and is below LSE, LBS and Imperial in terms of placement (you can probably guess which one).

I arrived in London and the uphill battle continued. The university in London was good, and they pride themselves on having an excellent careers office. No. The careers office, and probably most careers offices, provide excellent advice to clueless foreigners who have never written an application in their life. But if you know how to write a cover letter and a CV (get some feedback from people in the industry), a careers office will not add any value. Just check the page where they post available positions. They did organize a career fair at the beginning of the first semester and I met some people whom I still keep in touch. They also brought in some speakers from the industry, but those people rarely stayed for networking after their speech. So after going to a couple of these events, I realized that I can spend those two hours more efficiently, so I re-calibrated my approach:

a) Submit a large volume of online applications either on the company's website or on the countless jobsites that exist.

Surprisingly, applying online in the UK is not the black hole that is in the US. A well-written cover letter and CV does actually go a long way (if anyone actually reads them). Trust me on that. I have helped more classmates than you can imagine with their cover letters and CVs. The ones they sent or wanted to send before editing were horrific. Do not overestimate the competition.

b) Following-up after an application to any company, I went on LinkedIn and connected with people who worked there.

I sent them a short message, where I introduced myself, told them I had already applied to the company and asked them to have a quick conversation over coffee or over the phone. Almost 1 out of 5 agreed. Every person that was either an alumnus or came from my country agreed to meet me. All levels. From analysts to MDs. Also, most Americans agreed to meet with me. I guess they're more used to networking like that.

Another thing that I learned through this process is that at Bulge Brackets, MDs can help after your CV has passed the HR screening process; not before, at least that's what they told me. Does that mean that you shouldn't try to meet them? No! Meet everyone. Leave no stone unturned.

c) If I applied to a smaller company and no one connected with me on LinkedIn, I waited for a few days and then called them.

I asked if they received my application and told them that the position was my dream job and that I would love to work for them. I received three interviews on the spot using this method.

d) I joined a relevant society (M&A, PE, Investing, etc) at uni and took up a leadership role.

At the beginning of the year, there will be many enthusiastic classmates who will want to participate in societies. As schoolwork piles up and becomes increasingly demanding, people will give up. Out of the initial 40-50 people in a society by the end of the second month, only five will still participate actively. You want to be one of those five! Organize events and invite people as speakers from the industry. Give them at least two or three months notice. Make sure to advertise your events and bring an audience. Out of all the speakers, some will be definitely willing to talk to you about future job prospects.

I still keep in touch with all my contacts, send them an email every two months to update them on my progress and see how they're doing. I ask to meet them for a quick coffee again if they have time.
I'd encourage everyone to do that. People will let you know about positions that aren't even advertised.

That was my approach. I was rejected immediately from all the Bulge Brackets I applied to.

I applied to over 150 firms this year alone. I made it to several final rounds at banks, consulting firms, PE shops and a couple of HFs. My technicals were tight, but so were other people's and these people had better pedigrees. I was rejected by most of them.

Up until May I had nothing solid. A few more first, second and final rounds, but no offers. I had several fit interviews, case studies, modeling and powerpoint tests under my belt.

Two weeks ago, I had the third and final round with a mid-sized advisory firm. So far, I really liked the people who interviewed me and the work that the firm does. I had to present a case study which I prepared at home for the partners, sat down with them and got to know each other. Four days ago, on Monday, one of the partners called and offered me the position. I accepted. In the following days, I received two more offers. Since I prefer the first firm more than the other two, I will be starting with them in September.

Some final thoughts

- I was lucky. I persisted a lot, especially over the last couple of years. However throughout most of my journey up until now, I was also lucky. It's not just hard work.

- If you have a weird background, target smaller firms. People there are more approachable and they actually have more influence in hiring decisions.

- I did my due diligence on the firms. Researched recent deals, people who worked there and understood how their business model worked. I practiced my technicals as well as crafted an interesting story which could be presented within two minutes.

- I am extremely thankful to all the people who were willing to meet with me and give me 15 mins of their time. I have invited some of them out for lunch and will invite the rest of them soon. They all bought me a cup of coffee and shared their best advice. The least I can do to thank them is take them out for lunch.

- I mentioned that throughout this soul-crushing process of continuous rejections, some classmates asked me for help. I tried to help them as much as I could. We might even have competed for the same positions in a few cases, but it doesn't matter. What goes around, comes around.

- At the end of the day not being a complete asshole is good for the soul.

I want to thank everyone here, who without realizing it has helped me along the way.

Thank you WSO!

I hope that some of you got something out of this, or were at least entertained.

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I was skimming along facebook and see this guy smiling as he was holding up his MBA degree he just got from a really shytty school. The school ranked 89 out of USNews business school rankings. And to throw more poo on it, it took him 5 years to get. So, apparently, it was a part-time MBA.

Seriously, why? I don't get it. I would be embarrassed.

And no, this guy isn't poor or from some ghetto minority. He is white, privileged, relatively upper middle class, and a somewhat successful person.

Why do people do this?

About a year and a half ago, I posted about getting 20+ interviews and no FT offer (20 Company Interviews Later...No FT Offer looking for Advice). I wish I could say that I quickly got a job after that, but that wasn't the case. I'm going to be very vague about certain details, because I'd like to remain anonymous.

Working in finance has been my dream since I was about 12. Around 14, I decided that I wanted to do IB. I started seeking out any and all finance mentors I could find, in addition to reading the news, getting magazine subscriptions, watching CNBC/Bloomberg, etc.

My passion was self-directed

I'm from a very poor community. For perspective, I had neighbors without running water, a neighbor without electricity, and I knew someone without indoor plumbing. Yes, this was in the U.S.A...just in the parts no one talks about. There was violence. I don't want to describe my home life too much. It's too painful. It's too revealing. I'll just say that it was very 'volatile'. That's why for me, investment banking meant so many things in terms of financial independence, being part of a community full of intellectuals (to an extent), and status. It was (sorry MLK) my promised land.

Even so, I was not naive about my status in the world. As both a female and a URM, I knew that it would be even more difficult to break into the high finance world. I started networking and interning as a freshman. I spent thousands (no exaggeration) on networking events, conferences, and industry organizations over the years. I had up to 3 jobs at a time so I could cover my school costs as well as my career costs. This was all so I could meet people with the hope that one day they'd admire my intelligence and tenacity enough to provide me with a lead. When I was 15, a finance person told me that who I knew would matter more than what I knew. While people made fun of me in college for spending money to 'meet' people, it made sense at the time.

Now flash forward to my senior year. I had multiple high quality internships under my belt, not bad grades (considering how much I worked), and tons of people that I'd met in the industry. My school's career center knew and loved me. I never thought things would get so bad...

****Disclaimer for the people who want to say it's easier if you're a minority.****

I don't want to hear anything about companies' diversity programs because that only 'helps' if you're at a target school! There was something in my previous post that I purposely omitted. I didn't want it to turn into a crap show. At some point, there was a lull in the amount of interviews I was getting. Around December '14 things/calls slowed down significantly. I changed one thing before I started to get a faucet of call backs. I refused to check my race, or fill out an application where it was required. No agenda here. I'm just being 100% transparent now.

***End of disclaimer*****

After graduation

Anyhow, I graduated without a job and began to move around from place to place. I kept being persistent. I lost count of how many applications I submitted after 350. I kept making calls. I kept seeing people, eventually maxing out my credit card to have those coffee conversations. It was difficult to keep up appearances. My friends started calling me stupid, dreamer, a leech (for couch surfing even though I bought my own food). I was told to grow up and be realistic. They encouraged me to give up.

After running out of money and hospitality, I found myself sometimes sleeping on the subway or train station. It was scary and painful and cold. At my lowest/poorest point, I could only afford to eat one bowl of cereal a day. I lost around 30 lbs between graduation and my hardships. I was able to do some part-time seasonal work, but while I had that job and was couch surfing, I had to pay for my stay, so I saved nothing. By the time I was permanently kicked out, I was maintaining odd jobs (one of which was a bathroom attendant) while trying to interview for my stable positions. (I just want to say if you walk into a club bathroom and there is no vomit or urine, please tip the attendant. I swear they do more than hand you paper towels. It's just the only way you can see them.)

Anyhow, I would be lying if I said I didn't go to a deep dark place. I thought many times about walking in front of a moving train. I saw so many years of work go up in ash. And for some reason, people in the industry began to express that I must not be trying hard enough. I could go on and on about the shitty things that happened. These are on the mild side.

However, I'll just end by saying that eventually I got the offer. An alum knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who was hiring. I had 4 different rounds of interviews before I got the job, and I'm very happy. Sometimes it gets annoying to hear people brag about their fathers getting them the job or seeing frat boys that barely graduated with no relevant experience go to more 'prestigious' institutions. But I'm never bitter. I see it this way: I've already weathered one of the largest downturns in my life and anything the markets throw at me will be no big deal.

For all of my struggling monkeys, persistence and consistency in the face of adversity will pay you dividends! You got this!!!

Mod Note: Best of WSO, this was originally posted December 2015

I know it's a jungle out there guys. It's tough for people just graduating to find jobs, but it's even tougher for those in the work force and those with a non-target educational background to break into Finance (let alone work in a competitive sector). This story is a testament to ALWAYS maintaining the conviction in your mind that your circumstances are not reflective of who you are. If you maintain your self belief, know that everything will play out in your life as intended, and express gratitude towards others, you can literally accomplish anything you want to. I never used to believe this stuff, but because of how my life has played out, I can honestly say it's true.

So how unlikely was my chance of success to begin with? I'd say it was enormous. I originally attended a non-target Undergrad as a Biology major, I've never taken a Finance class in my life, and I graduated with a GPA around a 3.2. My Freshman year of college resulted in my grades tanking (and set a pretty substantial trend) as I faced the possibility of being homeless and not being able to afford tuition. When I graduated and realized I didn't want to become a doctor (and that I really wanted to break into Private Equity), I had to figure out the next steps in my life. How was some Bio Major going to break into PE and Investments from the get go? I simply picked up the phones. I made lists of firms near me, and cold called. Success rate? 0. Got no email responses, got no call backs, nothing. In order to pay my bills, I continued working part time as a Pharmacy Technician while also working full time at a "factory" type Pharmacy from 3:30 pm until 11:00 pm at nights. It was hands down one of the worst experiences my life, as I was surrounded by people that were thoroughly negative.

One day when I was on vacation with my family, my friend gave me a call and told me his operations department were looking for people. It was at this moment that I knew that I had to take the first step to break into Finance. Within two weeks, I managed to secure an Interview, secure the job, and I moved up to Manhattan to work. I had about 800 dollars in my bank account. I slept on a twin sized foam mattress on the floor in my friend's Studio, and we split the rent three ways. The pay at my job was pretty terrible, and some days I had to balance between washing my clothes or eating dinner. Shortly thereafter, I got a terrible case of Walking Pneumonia, and hit a 103 degree fever. I clearly remember on one particular day, the walk back from the subway to my shared studio was one of the most difficult things I've ever done; I legitimately remember thinking that I might die as the rain completely drenched me on the walk back. Looking back on it, it's probably one of the moments I appreciate the most, as I was the most unhealthy, broke, and unhappy I'd ever been in my life.

After a couple months, the firm I was working at was slammed with a number of scandals, and my roommates decided to head back to their respective homes. There was no way I could survive in the city without living on the streets, so I started applying to firms back home (now that I had a few months experience in NYC).

I made it to the final round of an Investment Sales associate position, even interviewing with the CEO of the firm. Unfortunately, the company told me that they couldn't hire me due to a non-compete agreement with that of the previous firm. For about three weeks, I called the previous firm, telling them that I had no client interaction, I wasn't FINRA licensed, and there was no reason that I should be subject to a non compete. The lawyers at the previous firm eventually agreed to push back my non compete from a year to only 4 months, but by that time, the firm I was interviewing with gave the position to someone else.

For three months, I applied, and applied, and applied to every and all firms I could, all while paying bills and watching my bank account near zero. I did more cold calling. And more emailing. And I got nowhere, until I found an opening for an Internal Wholesaler at a boutique mutual fund firm. I did everything I could in my power to convey how BADLY I wanted this job, and it apparently worked as I obtained the position. About 3 months in, my firm announced that it was on the market, and that it honestly had no idea what was going to happen to the people at the company. I realized that I had to do something. The sale was completed, and the new CEO came in and told us that in about 8 months there would be layoffs. I'm not one to wait for the axe to fall, so for the remainder of the year, I really hammered the phones, learned about the markets, and honed my Sales and Business Development skills while winning numerous awards and consistently ranking #1 across various metrics.

I figured because I had a year experience in Sales (including Cold Calling), I'd have a better shot at a few Investment Banking/PE firms. I revamped my cover letters. I called and emailed Managing Directors and CEOs of IB and PE firms directly....and, I found success (kind of). I had 3 interviews with two IB firms and one PE firm, but unfortunately the IB firms turned me down, and the PE firm made a very, very weak offer that reminded me of my downtrodden NYC days. Something in my gut kept telling me to wait.....

And my waiting paid off. Shortly after turning down the only PE offer I had, I got a call from a well regarded PE firm in NYC for an Associate level role. They told me they were particularly impressed with my Cover Letter, and loved my Business Development skills. After coming up to interview from 10 AM until 7 PM straight, I received an offer the same evening. I accepted the job, and moved up to the city where I live pretty comfortably (and I can now afford to both wash my clothes and eat dinner!). The people at this company are wonderful, the culture is amazing, and they're willing to train me in all aspects of transaction structuring/finance that I don't know. 2 years later, I'm where I originally envisioned myself to be.

All I have to say is no matter what is thrown at you, keep trucking on. Have an image in your mind of where you want to be, maintain it, and never give up on yourself. The two constants in my life through all of my tougher moments, was that I always believed that it was only a matter of time before I would attain what I wanted to, and I also always said "yes" to every opportunity and risk presented to me. The Universe does not work on your schedule, but it will work for you...just give it time.

Hope this helps!

Hi guys, Long time reader of this forum, WSO has been very helpful so first I want to thank all those posters who have contributed valuable advice across the board in terms of progressing through the realms of high finance.

To start with, I'm pretty young (rising sophomore now), and I currently attend a non-target school in their business program. I landed a boutique IB SA position for this summer and I wanted to 1) talk about it because I know there is a very young readership here and 2) internships are very hard to come by post-freshman year ESPECIALLY from a lesser known school.

Some background

Like I said, double majoring in Econ and Finance at a top-50 non target school in the South (think around VA/NC areas). I learned about banking far after I decided on what school to go to; had I known it was so competitive I might've decided to go about the college application process differently but nonetheless I am here w/ some fantastic experience under my belt. Keep in mind my school has about 20-30 alums in ibanking and other areas of finance (PE/HF/consulting), so it isn't entirely in the dark. With that being said, by no means is it a target and it isn't as well known as some other semi-targets near it.

How I got it

The second I realized that investment banking was for me, I quickly turned to my parents and tried to see who they knew (and I knew) in the industry. Living close to NYC, the area I'm in is a hotbed for banks and hedge funds, so I was fortunate enough to have certain contacts through my family I could reach out to as early as my senior year of high school to get a better grasp on the industry. After emailing and calling (mainly emailing) with a SIMPLE template: (Hi X, Going to be/currently a freshman at X double majoring in XYZ, wondering if you had any time to discuss your current role and what you do) and then turning this call into a meeting, I leveraged my way into an internship role through the CEO of a small boutique investment bank in my hometown. He brought up that his firm had an internship program and often brought on 2 or 3 interns for the summer for paid opportunities to learn and work alongside him on his deals and whatnot. Being a rising sophomore, I'm currently working with 2 other interns who are both rising juniors (one from a top target school, one from a semi-target) this summer gaining tangible experience.

What I'm doing

To be blunt, it's not like I'm building extravagant models across multi-billion dollar deals. For any freshmen and sophomores reading this looking to understand what they're going to be doing for any banking internships BEFORE landing that big BB SA stint after junior year, get this: YOU WON'T BE MODELING IN THIS INTERNSHIP. From what I hear, if you do a PE summer internship you get even less experience.

Moving on, I DO get to:
- Sit in on meetings with PE funds and potential investors as well as our clients and learn about each deal we are working on (about 3/4 live deals this summer)
- Create presentations and pitch books for these potential PE funds and help present our clients to those PE funds
- Work on due diligence files for future audits on our deals (this really took up the bulk of my time), which really tested my attention to detail
- Presented ideas for an entry into a new sector to the executive committee of the firm, and got to travel to San Francisco to meet w/ potential clients interested in our advisory services
- Last but not least, learned an INCREDIBLE amount about how the industry of banking works and all the details that go into it

My advice to you

Stay hungry, but be humble. Regardless of whether you went to Wharton or your local community college, chances are that the people interviewing you come junior year aren't going to hire you if you walk in acting entitled like your hot sh*t. I'm sure there are plenty of posts that talk about that, but the piece of advice I've received most frequently so far is to stay humble and show how much you want it. The ability and desire to learn far surpasses some cocky 20 year old who thinks he's the end all be all. I'm only a sophomore and I could guess that no one analyst is going to make or break a bank at the end of the day.

I just want to thank the WSO community again for all their help in terms of helping me develop a better understanding of banking; as well as encouraging me to follow my dream and pursue my goals. Regardless of where you come from, banking is an uphill battle to get into and while I'm still far from getting there I wanted to share my experience. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask! Keep grinding!

I have had an account on this site for the past few months but I did not start posting until recently. I would like to give some background information on myself and I hope I can inspire others.

I graduated high school in 2011 slightly above average for my class (of about 212 people). I then went to a decent university but I failed out eventually because I was too busy partying (acid, molly, blow, tons of booze/weed/loose pussy) and too hungover to get up for class. I took two years off to work (retail/food industry/tourism) and to support myself and my lifestyle. At first this was great because I had a ton of fun for the first time in my life (I was kind of a loser in high school and I come from a very conservative family; so I was an awkward virgin who couldn't hold a conversation). After working shit jobs for shit money with shit people, I came to the realization that I did not want to continue this life. I wasn't going anywhere! I was simply existing!

One of my roommates at the time was a finance major and he would always talk about the work he did. This sparked an interest in economics/finance/business for me. In my free time I would read as much as I could to educate myself on the markets and careers in finance.

Over the next year I continued to work full time and took night classes to get my GPA up and so I could have more credits. I applied to several colleges last summer for full time enrollment and most of them rejected me. They could not get over my abysmal cumulative GPA and the fact that at my first college I had a record for plagiarizing a paper (I panicked at the last minute before a paper was due because I did not want to fail the class; I got caught and failed anyways). I drove out to visit several colleges (some that were hours away) to try to convince them to let me in. A few schools were impressed my "redemption story" so I got a few acceptances. Target schools were wayyy out of my reach. So I chose to go to a large non-target university in the northeast that has fantastic resources, great sports teams, and a social scene that I knew I could fit into.

I came in as a Junior knowing no one and knowing dick about how to get a job on Wall Street. I did not get one of those high flying Wall Street internships that everyone on this website is obsessed with since I was still figuring out how the process worked as well as adjusting to a totally different environment. But I got a 3.5 GPA, networked a ton with alumni, and I am interning at a local investment firm this summer ($400 mil AUM) where I am actively involved in the investment process (picking individual stocks, bonds, and preferred shares). I actually got this internship the same way I got into my current university. By physically showing up at the office in a suit and with my resume. Old School guys love that. If only you could do that at GS.... My current firm does not have any full time opportunities but I have learned a ton from my boss and I cannot wait to start the process for full time jobs.

I now know what it takes to make it and the steps I need to take. These past few years I have learned a ton about the markets, careers, and myself. I may not have the pedigree or background as a lot of these Ivy League brats on here but I have a self-awareness, passion, and work ethic that I hope will carry me into my dream of eventually managing my own L/S Emerging market focused hedge fund.

My immediate goals are to land a full time gig on Wall Street in S&T, AM, or ER upon graduation. I may not have the credentials to end up at a BB or one of the larger AM firms (BlackRock, Fidelity, etc) but I would be totally happy at a smaller firm as long I am involved in the investment process.

Anyone feel free to message me if they think they can learn something from me or if they just want to bullshit about the markets/careers.

Friday night.

I'm at the club, grinding on two fine NYU specimens, one is my date and the other told us her name was Chloe. I peer over my shoulder and cringe at the desperate frat boys, raising vodka for the sober women, oblivious to the fact that chicken-legs and chubbies don't go hand-in-hand. I wondered if desperation had an expiration date, they were crowding my dance floor.

I asked for my date's phone number on the subway earlier that day. Tall, thin, tanned, and half-Asian. She informed me she was from Hong-Kong, and is graduating from NYU next spring with a degree in dance. But it wasn't Lucy Liu who captured my attention that night, it was the blonde who we met 5 minutes ago, she could easily be on the cover of Victoria's Secret and maybe even under the cover of my sheets.

The masses start to show and the dance floor gets humid. A fat chick grabs my ass and my date starts a confrontation. I whisper in Chloe's ear that i'd love to leave with her, and inform her we should exit before the exodus, after all it was getting pretty late. We navigate through the masses, dodging awkward fobs, fat Amy dancing on the bar table, Snoop Dog lighting a joint in the corner, and a hurricane of low-tier finance bro's dressed like Gotti's crew.

About half an hour later we find ourselves on a random street in Chelsea, we had spent the time chatting about her entire life and I thought it was time I brought my due-diligence to a close. I halt a cab and give him the directions to my apartment, meanwhile Chloe is busy fondling my dice. I manage to contain her excitement till we step inside my bedroom, I promptly excuse myself for a whiz.

I'm yawning over the toilet seat and having a hard time unloading from the ICBM that has taken center stage, i begin taking proper controlled bursts just as I was thought by my dad the ex-marine. My phone vibrates and I pull it out of my pocket, it's a text from Lucy Liu.. a guilty feeling rushes into my chest.

"Lrts go hpme baby" sent 40 minutes ago
"Wait wtf.. whevre are you guys!?!" sent 15 minutes ago

My sympathy fell off a cliff and I exited messenger, opened up Venmo and paid her for the entrance fees. I added a 20% tip for being a great wing woman and tossed my cellphone into the bathtub.

As I walk toward my bed, I could see Chloe had already made herself comfortable. I let out a chuckle and recited the saying from the movie Slum Dog Millionaire "God is good Jamal.. God is good", and even better I was about to obliterate his masterpiece. As i'm taking off my dress shirt, the broad mutters something I couldn't comprehend. "What?" and she mutters it again, "Whaat?" She leans closer to my ear and asks me to take down my poster of the future president of America. I asked her why, but if I could have seen into the future, I would have been able to save my ear that fell off from an overdose of vitamin feminism and NYU privileged malarkey.

Chloe is now yelling at me and telling me to just do her. But instead I toss her off my bed and make her promise that unless she votes for my candidate, then she's not getting the Don. Her phone vibrates and it's fucking Lucy Liu who unfortunately did not get the memo.

"id be down for a 3some.. can u ask (insert my name) to reply plz"

A grin blows up on Chloe's face as she paints the Asian a picture of how terrible a human being I am because I won't remove a poster from my wall. I've had enough and I head towards my drawer, pull out my woodford reserve, and splash some Creapure to add density to the drink and myself. What ensues was fucking beautiful and less an hour later I had my first threesome. A couple months earlier, I was incredibly sad accepting my diploma with this fact, but it's better late than never.. right?

Hey everyone. This past spring I graduated from my local community college and was accepted into 2 of 3 schools I applied to. After receiving endless amounts of useful advice and information from this community, I thought it would be a good time to formally introduce myself and hopefully share any information that could help any other young students / prospective monkeys.

Background

A little background about myself. Graduated from HS in 2012--was a terrible student for the most part. Graduated smack dab in the middle of my class (of about 450), despite taking honors and AP classes throughout. Had no real extracurriculars to speak of; a year of swimming and a year of lacrosse. At that point I was fed up with school, so I took 2 years off.

Selling Drugs, Partying & 2 Years Off

I like to say I spent most of that time traveling, but in reality it was mostly selling drugs, endless partying, and a strict adherence to being unproductive. During the tail end of that experience, I began to really take a look at what I was doing with my life. Binging on women and drugs was fun (especially for someone who got no play in high school) but it left me feeling exceptionally empty and unfulfilled.

Role Model?

Eventually I got to a point where I was doing acid (or some other psychedelic equivalent) every other day, for periods of a month at a time. I could begin to feel my mental acuity fading, speech becoming slower and more deliberate, littered with frequent pauses and stutters in an attempt to find the right... word .In addition there was a metric fuck-ton of weed being smoked as well, which isn't such a bad thing on its own, but definitely helped encourage a feeling of lethargy, among other things. During this time I began feeling suicidal, as any time I was sober (or high, for that matter) I couldn't shake this idea of self worthlessness- I was nothing more than a drain on my single mother, I had failed to live up to the expectations of my academically-outstanding sister, and I was in the running for being the worst role model to my younger brother.

Farmer For $15/hr

After coming through an extended period of depression, working odd jobs in construction and farming, I looked around at my coworkers and decided I didn't want to be stuck working in the heat for 12 hours a day for $15/hour for the rest of my life. My desire to learn and grow built up over that last summer, and at the end of August I enrolled in my local community college.

School

It took me two years to finish up my associate's degree in economics. The first year I spent getting acclimated to school, enjoying some responsibility once again. By the beginning of my second semester, I began taking things more seriously; reaching out to teachers for advice and mentorship, signing up for clubs on campus, emailing local accounting firms, investment managers, whatever I could find. I started to look at prospective transfer schools and decided to shoot for the moon--when I began my last semester, I applied to an Ivy League school (think Brown/Dartmouth/Cornell) and two excellent universities. I was rejected from Vanderbilt, but accepted to the Ivy and the other target. Ultimately I chose the non-Ivy, due to the reputation of its business school and more sociable/enjoyable environment.

The Future

Now I'm getting ready to move in and begin life at my new school. I've continued to reach out to people with even the slightest relation, and I can already tell it will pay dividends come recruiting season. Despite not having the relevant internship experience of my peers who have been at a great school for two years, I'm feeling confident of my own ability, and of the endless resources my school provides. Most of all I'm going to try and balance having fun with being proactive in my banking pursuits, so I guess we'll see how it goes. I realize this turned into an extremely long post, but feel free to ask me any questions you may have, whether it's about dealing with depression, drug abuse, networking as a student (from a CC), or anything else.

Thanks!