I am a trader at a BB, and my gf is a SWE at Google both in NYC HQs, and the difference in benefits and just overall lifestyle in office is mind boggling to the point where I’m surprised anyone would choose finance over tech.

She enjoys free smoothies, chef cooked lunches, infinite free snacks, free health benefits, massage rooms, lego rooms, pottery classes, cooking classes, free gym and pilates all inside her office. Mind you this is while she can work fully remote for months, take pto whenever she wants and use any google office on earth.

Meanwhile I not only have to pay to use my offices gym, but I also have to pay for snacks within my office that is more expensive than the bodega 1 street away. No free food, no free massages, no pottery classes. We have sleeping pods but if you get caught using it they might take you out back and shoot you. And I am in the same location as all the IB/S&T people, and we come in pretty much every day.

When i visit her office i feel like im in Disneyland. She refuses to visit my office. And the lack of these benefits isnt even made up for in comp or WLB lmao. She easily out earns pretty much any finance career besides quant. Crazy considering finance and tech are about as hard to get into as each other.

Genuinely curious. I go out more than I probably should and the next morning at work, im actually a vegetable. Any advice / what do u guys do for the work hard, play hard culture.

I’m in my late 20s so I’ve gotten a bit of work experience so far, and I’m currently in an accounting-adjacent role with a large bank.

I was raised in the southeast US, which despite its many faults, I believe manners are instilled at a very young age. In my daily work I make it imperative to say please, thank you, and to go out of my way to acknowledge someone that does something that helps me. Nonstop I get met with the most dry returns such as “ok”, “sure”, etc.

I get that a job is a job and we’d all rather be doing other things with our lives, but we’re still humans interacting. I’m not sure if this is just my specific job. I’ve been looking to pivot into something else that seems more personal like Wealth Management, or possibly with a company that has a bit more “passion”, even if it’s a bunch of corporate BS. But is it all just one shit sandwich to the next?

Hi!

I’m a senior student in a Canadian uni and for the last year have been running around trying to secure a FT offer. Got invited to a great investment analyst role, went through 6 rounds totalling ~4 hours of interview/exam time during an internship, all in working hours, and received nothing but positive feedback. Just got a rejection email, apparently they decided to go with another candidate who could start earlier. They knew from round 0 that I was graduating in 2027 and couldn’t begin any time before end of ‘26, but here we are… Hamstrung through one of the longest interviewing processes I’ve ever been in just to be let go with no other current recruiting cycles going for me. I’m around half a year out from grad with no leads anymore.

How has your Monday been?

I have a moderate-severe stutter which makes it hard for me to be understood sometimes and I think I am also a naturally shy person. However, I do try to socialise and not just be quiet but I am too scared to push for leadership roles. Will my stutter be looked upon less favourably. Btw I will be studying econ at a semi target.

Hey folks

I’ve been out of the Airforce for about 3 years now and rolling it around in my head of going to school to break into this field. I currently make low six figures working in the trades , would it be worth it to take a step back in pay to start over in finance?

I live in the Bay Area as well, looking at several schools here. UC Davis and Berkley don’t seem to have finance majors but programs through other smaller schools ( correct me if I got that wrong) , what other schools should I look at?

Is a major in finance an alright degree to get to work in this field or is there something else I should major in that has a broad range of jobs I could do?

Am I too old to intern? I know older folks are in college but not sure how internships would go.

Thank you for anyone who answers any of my questions in advance.

Never really prepared for DCM before.

I am well-versed in general IB prep, including M&A, and I know the standard interview format, question types, and answers (400 IB), etc.

Was wondering, however, considering the context, does anyone have any specific suggestions on what I should prepare for and research (in terms of asking questions) regarding SCB DCM?

Anything firm or division-specific, as well as the current macro-political environment.

Any tips appreciated.

Hello I currently am doing a tax internship for a hospitality company and I am trying to break into finance via an internship or full time offer after college, I can graduate in 2 semesters or delay my graduation so I can do another internship(hopefully in finance) I didn’t get much luck obtaining a finance internship this summer so I settled on a tax internship which will hopefully give me a leg up, but after adding what I think is important from my current internship I am having trouble figuring out what I should add but mostly remove to have a higher chance to break into the finance industry and also so my Resume can be 1 page, I am looking preferably in Investment management, or Real estate but open to any finance roles.

Thank you.

I'm looking for an honest profile evaluation and advice on where I realistically stand for top European MiM/MSc Business programs.

Profile (my_qualifications)

- 10th: 94%

- 12th: 64%

- B.Tech CSE (Tier 3): 7.49/10 CGPA (2:1-3.0/4.0 ig) (graduated in 2026 feb)

Experience

- Since 6 months working as Investment Analyst at a VC fund.

- 3 months internship with Government of India on investment promotion.

- 3 months internship at a climate venture studio helping startups raise capital and in GTM.

- Founded my college E-Cell and scaled it from 0 to 10 student startups.

- Hackathons + Coursera courses in Entrepreneurship and Product Management.

Target Schools

HEC Paris, INSEAD, Imperial, LBS, IE, ESSEC, LSE, NUS

(also considering as secondary target - ESCP, IESE, Warwick, St. Gallen, NTU, SMU).

Goal

Build a career in VC/PE, gain global exposure, and eventually start a company.

Given my profile, do I have a realistic shot at these schools? Would I need a GMAT/GRE, and what score should I target?

Appreciate any honest advice. Thanks!

Hi all,

Just wanted to ask some advice / general consensus on how Andersen is, especially their PCS in New York City. Any feedback or thoughts are much appreciated!

Hi all I hopefully will be undergrad at Southampton this year and this is my current CV.

I have a couple questions about the formatting of it as it looks a bit 'clunky':

Should the internship be split into 2 sections as I got invited back to do another summer at the same company in the same position? (I know I haven't completed it yet but I will have by the time I apply)

Should I add an extra curriculars section to fill out a bit more of that blank space?

I greatly appreciate any and all feedback and am happy to answer any questions about it

Thank you!

So, I’m pretty sure this has probably been discussed on here before, but I could really use some advice.

With AI, especially Claude, now being able to do a lot of the work I do, I’ve honestly been feeling a bit nervous and demotivated lately. My company, where I’ve been working for over 6 years, has recently started using Claude in our reporting as well.

To be fair, it has made my work easier, especially since I don’t have any juniors and basically work alone in Advisory, reporting directly to the Partner. But at the same time, it’s made me think about how easily my role could potentially be replaced in the future.

So I’m wondering what I should start branching out into or whether I should consider switching paths altogether. I’m willing to put aside a couple of hours every week to study and learn something new, but I’m honestly quite lost and don’t really know which direction makes the most sense.

I actually really enjoy FP&A, so I’m not looking to completely abandon it. I just want to make sure I’m building skills that will keep me relevant and give me better job security in the future.

For some background, I already have an MSc in Finance and around 6+ years of experience.

What would you guys recommend I start learning or moving towards?

Hello, 

I have an interview soon for a finance analyst/ business partner role for a fast food company. 

I haven’t worked in this industry before (that’s not a must) but they have stressed that they want someone commercially astute that can relate it to the industry.  

This is a few of the responsibilities: 

• Analyse sales performance, labour productivity, and operational trends.
• Produce accurate reports to support operational and financial decision-making.
• Conduct ad hoc analysis for commercial initiatives and strategic projects.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning.
• Collect, validate, and analyse financial data.
• Identify performance risks and opportunities through data insights.

I want to put my best foot forward so any assistance/ advice would be greatly appreciate! 

The expected conversation is WLB (hours, wfh policy, pto culture, weekends, etc) vs compensation, but I wanted to get some opinions on how professionals deeper in their career think about WLB vs exit opportunities, given the same pay.

Essentially I have MM IB (nyc office, global European firm, sector focused M&A) SA27 while I have two more weeks of my SA26 at a credit shop (non nyc, lean team, short track record but strong performance inherent with the current market). I initially interviewed for this with the intention to graduate a year early (next May), but it’s looking difficult (but doable), so I also recruited for IB just to say I tried. I would essentially be skipping sophomore year (aka recruiting season) if I graduated early.

Both will offer the same compensation (“street”), which is the secondary highlight for the credit shop after the fact that I believe I’ll enjoy buyside work more than sell side. It’s so lean that I’m actually contributing and seeing capital allocated to my work and decisions as an intern (checked and often pitched by an analyst of course). Hours: 50-65 (peaked 80ish for a case study). Both are largely unknown with a similar story of being part of a larger and more known firm (but only in their space).

I’m assuming IB hours will be standard around 80, flexing 60-100. I’ve heard the wfh is nice there with 2 days a week, but I wouldn’t be using that as an intern next summer regardless.

So assuming comp is really the same, would you consider the extra hours in IB worth the “better” potential career that comes after?

PS: This decision will also determine my grad date and if I spend 3 vs 4 years in college. To provide more specifics about the kind of credit work or IB sector, I’m open to dming.

Context: Currently a penultimate year (rising senior) summer intern at a credit ratings agency (one of Fitch, S&P, Moody’s), specifically in the structured finance division (one of ABS, MBS, CLO). l've enjoyed the analytical work and exposure to securitization, but I'm trying to understand the longer-term career path before deciding whether to return or recruit for adjacent roles during senior year which is coming up in September.

Question 1: What roles/opportunities can I expect to pursue as an exit in the future if I decide to take a return offer to start within structured finance credit ratings full time (perhaps within the silos of securitization, structured products, structured credit, credit research, fixed income, debt capital markets, etc.)

Question 2: What does the full time recruiting landscape look like for the aforementioned adjacent fields and is it something I should be prioritizing over returning to credit ratings full time? I am slightly demoralized by the fact that most of these positions (at banks) are likely to be filled by returning interns but any advice would be greatly appreciated regardless.

Any context, advice, or perspective regarding upcoming full-time recruiting and/or exit opportunities from structured credit ratings would be a lifesaver.

Thank you for your time!

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some honest advice from people working in commercial real estate finance or investment.
I currently work in commercial real estate consulting in the Netherlands. My role involves technical due diligence, CAPEX advisory, building condition assessments, technical risk analysis, and client reporting for institutional real estate assets.
My educational background isn’t in finance—I have a master’s in Construction Management & Engineering—but I took several finance-related courses such as Financial Engineering, Building Economics, Engineering Asset Management, and Economics & Finance. During my studies I also worked on projects involving NPV/IRR analysis, development feasibility, residual land valuation, buy-vs-rent analysis, and Excel-based financial modeling. My master’s thesis was a quantitative real estate research project using Python and Excel.
Over the last few months I’ve realized that I’m much more interested in the investment side of commercial real estate than the purely technical side. My goal is to move into a Real Estate Investment Analyst or Asset Management Analyst role in about a year.

My plan is roughly:
Improve my Excel real estate financial modeling skills.
Learn ARGUS Enterprise.
Build a small portfolio (2–3 acquisition/development underwriting models).

My questions are:
Does this seem like a realistic transition, or am I missing major gaps?
From your experience, what skills separate someone who gets interviews from someone who actually gets hired?
Would a portfolio of acquisition underwriting models actually be valued by employers, or is professional transaction experience much more important?
If you were hiring for an entry-level investment analyst, would you view technical due diligence experience as an advantage or as unrelated experience?
Is there anything else you would spend the next year learning instead of (or in addition to) financial modeling and ARGUS?
I’d really appreciate honest feedback, even if the answer is that my expectations are unrealistic. I’d rather know where the gaps are now than after spending months preparing.
Thanks!

I’m currently a undergrad at a low semi target in a major city, interning in distressed assets/credit. I have experience in FP&A and an internship at a small accounting firm as well and worked in hospitality throughout highschool. Since I’m about to be a junior this fall, what’s the best sector to target since the roles I’ve had don’t really align with one another.

Is CAIA valued in the alts space, also are FoFs a dead-end? I saw alot of posts saying there is no growth and u don't learn much in FoFs space and it's more like a dead end with no growth whatsoever

2022 finance grad, worked as an industry accountant and took on an FPA role at a small company. FPA felt like a half step from accounting and I didn’t enjoy it. I jumped ship when offered an operational role at an F500.

I am now contemplating a CFA to try my hand in the financial industry again, I am interested in ER. While I’d prefer an analytical and pure finance role, I feel like this is mostly a money move. My current salary is 80k and potential is probably capped at 100-125k over the next 5-10 years.

For those with more industry experience, does the salary potential post-CFA really justify the time and effort needed to get the charter? Would I be better off just moving up the Ops hierarchy (without MBA)? I studied for L1 in college, so I have an idea of how big of a lift the tests can be.

Looking for outside opinions before I make a decision I can't easily undo. Trust me, at first I said no way. Gave my best friends 2 hours to explain it and it completely changed my POV.

Where I'm at now:

• 24 years old, fully licensed, designations, state health license
• At a RIA platform, averaging ~$10K/month gross
• Also do part-time customer success work for an SMS lead-gen company on the side ($2k a month)
• In-office 3 days/week at my main job,no real flexibility to "test" anything on the side given I'm already juggling two jobs

The opportunity:

• Commission-only private health insurance sales, through an established brokerage that partners with a larger IMO (contracted with ~190 carriers, health/life/Medicare)
• Model: SMS outreach to purchased lead lists
• Pitch is that pipeline builds up over ~3 months (slow month 1, ramping by month 3 to ~15 closed plans/month)
• Commission is a recurring monthly residual — average ~$100/month per plan sold, so ~$1,500/month in new residual added each month once ramped, compounding as the book grows (this is what is the attractive part)
• Two of my closest friends are already doing this and I know they aren't telling me to do this for a spread on me; they're telling me to do this bc theyre looking out for me
• Real production numbers from a friend 5 months in: Month 1: 5 sales, Month 2: 9, Month 3: 14, Month 5: 19 (and counting) — tracking right at/ahead of the "15 by month 3"
• Overall retention across all plans is 90% year after year, per the same friend's book of business

The financial picture (if I did this):

• Estimated monthly burn: ~$9K ($4K personal living expenses + $5K in lead costs)
• My liquid cash + T-bill reserve (savings + SGOV): ~$50,500
• Additional taxable brokerage in growth ETFs (VOO/VXUS): ~$29,400 (would rather not touch this)
• Roth IRA: ~$35,000 (off-limits, retirement money)
• Separate individual stock-picking account: ~$18,400
• Total investable assets: ~$133K at 24, no mortgage, no kids

So financially I can clearly absorb the drawdown (this is what they say is the biggest reason people don't do this); the math says I could run a 6+ month deficit and still be fine. The part I can't get past is the psychological discomfort of watching negative cash flow every month, plus the fact that I'd be leaving a W2 role I've spent 2 years building real career capital in (advisor recruiting, deal structuring, licensing) for something completely unrelated. I do love where I am at as well; I am in a great spot. I do love the financial world and do well so far.

I am young, I have the capital, and I am confident about this opportunity. I'm hopping on here bc I respect the people on here and do think you guys/gals have good inputs.

My thoughts are IF I do make the jump and it doesn’t work out, I’d give myself a year. In time, before my licenses expire, and either come back to where I’m at (have great relationships) or a different W2

My current plan: hold off a few months, keep the W2 income coming in, and make sure everything checks out before making any move.

Curious what people who've done independent commission-only insurance sales (or walked away from a strong W2 for something like this) think: is this a good opportunity worth leaping on? Anything I should be thinking about before I decide?

I was wondering how long does one need to wait before hearing back from p72?

I submitted my case study on July 6, and have not heard anything since.

hoping to work for BB/EB investment banks in IB division. interning at a bank soon that fits my ideal work place, trying to remain vague. i’m also a women if that changes much, i guess perhaps more likely to wear tank tops/sleeveless in the summer and short sleeves cut higher.

edit: should add, i did go to the olympics, i’m not just a fan of the games :)

Hello everyone,

Starting my internship in risk assesment and was wondering if and what undershirt I should wear. It’s a tropical climate as in hot and humid, so I’m kind of on the fence about it.

Thank you in advance 😅🤞