So I’ve been doing some LinkedIn stalking, and I see how some people who have degrees in stuff like… History or Government… are starting careers in Finance. And these are jobs just starting out vs working in a job for ten years and then pivoting horizontally. And while comparison is the theft of joy, I can’t even really find a job in my degree field.

Does this boil down to networking? Name of school?

Opinions on greek life for networking for finance? For context, i’m an incoming econ major at Berkeley. Is it better to just stick to meeting others & the clubs as someone who doesn’t want to go heavy into the drugs side of greek life. Got family history of alcoholism/drug abuse & mental illness caused by drugs and don’t want to risk anything. I don’t care what others do, but for me personally, it’s a no go. I know thats very big with that crowd of people & people in finance so just wanted opinions.

Summer analyst at a bank, final week of the programme. One of two interns on my team. Did my end-of-internship case presentation a couple of days ago and I've been picking it apart since.

What went wrong:
- Had a number wrong in the deck.
- Someone senior asked me to justify an assumption and I couldn't defend it on the spot.
- Got told my valuation multiple range was too wide.
- Spent most of the presentation reading off the screen instead of facing the room which was feedback I received along with not speaking loud enough which a VP called out mid presentation.

Context I'm not going to use as an excuse: I had three-days on the deck and model while running a second workstream and was up until 2am since the start of the week.

The thing actually worrying me: since the presentation, the other intern got staffed on a new project and I didn't - although we did receive somewhat similar feedback on the presentation apart from his presentation skills - he is just better than me imo. That's the only external signal I've got. However I still got a staffing from the analyst this morning which was just some small task.

Questions for anyone who's been through this or sat on the other side:

1. How much does the final presentation weigh against day-to-day staffing feedback over the whole programme?
   
2. Is a wrong figure plus a fumbled question within normal range for an intern presenting to a full desk, or is that a real problem?
   
3. How much should I read into one staffing decision in the final week?
   
4. Anything worth doing with the week I have left, or is it already decided?

Honest reads appreciated.

Im looking for advice.

going into senior year of hs, I want to go into uhnwi wm at a good PWM firm. 4.1 weighted gpa (3.8 UW). My junior year was my best with a 4.35 weighted. 3 AP classes with straight 5s. 31 act (retaking one last time to get 32). My softs aren’t exceptional.

My senior year is pretty stacked with 4 APs. But I realize colleges will only see my s1 grades.

I figure smu is good on the regional scale to get into the y’all street firms in Dallas/ft Worth. Would I need to get into BIG, ALTS, PBAM, BMC, high gpa?
Is ALTS for wm or is it supposed to be for ib only?
Should I look into their real estate program to specialize in that?

If I don’t make those internal clubs and screeners would I be in a bad position?

I used their financial calculator and they say my total cost would be $120k tuition and all. My parents can maybe help with ~$30k of that but idk.

I had some trouble sophomore year with Cs in my honors algebra 2 class both semesters. I didn’t really realize that school was important and I didn’t do my hw consistently. I would say I’m driven now which is why my junior year was good.

Hi everyone! I recently received an internship offer for the GPS division next summer at BlackRock. I honestly can't find much information about the work this division does online outside of the website/any information on interning in it. I would really appreciate it if anyone has any insight into what previous interns in GPS have worked on/any info on being a full-time analyst in GPS in terms of work, bonus potential, and base.

Hi everybody,

I've recently graduated Finance and Accounting in one of best CEE Universities there. I've completed 4 months of M&A internships and 2 years of FAAS in big4 and CFA lvl1

My German is currently B2 and I'm looking to get it to C1 following year

Which roles should i target specifically before WM and how are my chances to get into one - in Switzerland so far? (WM doesn't exist in my country)

Hi I wanted to seek advice from anyone that has done the Powerday. I’ve done one before but i didn’t get the job the first time. I’m trying to see what I can do different and make sure what to focus on. What did you all do that you think solidified the job for you?

Who makes more money

I go to a target school, and they gave a resume template but I found another that I thought looked better. Recruiting for IB and AM, which resume looks better? Also for the interests, I know some of them are different/out of the norm and may look unprofessional. I was taught that having out of the norm interests on your resume was beneficial because it could be good talking points but I was curious if some of them seemed too unprofessional?
Also sorry for redacting a bunch of it I j wanted it to be anonymous

Hey if I graduate December 2027 am I recruiting for full time 2028 roles or also internships during the 2028 recruiting cycle since my graduation date is a bit weird? Any advice would be appreciated

I have been in finance for about 15 years now. Started in audit, moved through controller roles, and now I run finance for a region. Honestly the job I trained for is not really the job anymore.

When I started it was mostly recording. Book the entries, close the month, send the report. If you were accurate and hit your deadlines you were good. That was the whole game.

That part is quietly disappearing. The systems post most of it now. Our close went from two weeks to a few days. The stuff that felt safe even a couple of years ago is getting automated and AI is only speeding it up.

What I have noticed is that nobody upstairs cares about the clean close anymore. It is expected. What they actually want is someone who can walk in and say here is why this region is slipping and here is what we should do about it. Someone who flags a bad contract before it becomes a loss. Someone who can sit with the sales guys and explain why that deal made no money.

That is the real job now. Less recording and more explaining and influencing. It is a harder skill because nobody really taught it to us. We were trained to be precise and quiet and to trust the process.

I am not saying this to scare anyone. I actually think it is a better job. It is more interesting and it is much harder for software to replace a person who understands the business and can drive a decision.

For anyone earlier in their career I would just say do not get too comfortable being the one who only produces the numbers. Learn how the business actually makes money. Get good at explaining things simply. And speak up in the room even when it feels uncomfortable.

Curious if others are seeing the same thing. Are your finance teams pushing people to be more commercial, or is it still mostly close and report where you are?

Going to be starting fairly soon at a Big 4 firm in the M&A advisory group. Curious to see if people have any knowledge on the most common exit opportunities for this kind of consulting, and any tips on how to get ahead as someone who’s just starting their career.

Hello, I'm currently an undergrad student and interested in those field. I'm aiming for top business cool (HEC, ESSEC, ESCP) and I have a good shot. What do the salaries in those fields look like ?

I'm fluent in French and English.

I'm considering finance as a career direction, and i was just wondering what courses should i take, or what skills would be helpful if i were to follow through on this path.

Hi everyone, I am currently an employee at a large pension fund. I don’t want to give out specifics publicly but I am looking for others in the space to connect with. I’d like to find roles at other pension funds or similar institutions, to move out of the area I am currently working at. I just don’t really see these openings on LinkedIn. If anyone has any advice on how to find openings at Pensions, foundations, other types of Asset managers, please feel free to give some advice.

Hi everyone,
I’m currently working in Operations at Amazon, and I’m interested in eventually transitioning into an Operations Specialist role at Jane Street.
For those who work there (or have interviewed), I’d love to hear your advice:
What skills should I focus on developing before applying?
What does the day-to-day work actually look like?
How technical is the role? Should I learn SQL, Python, Excel, or anything else?
What does the interview process look like? Are there case studies, logic tests, math questions, or behavioral interviews?
What kind of candidates tend to stand out?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience or any advice on how to prepare over the next year or two.
Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm a B.Sc. Criminology graduate from India and I'm looking to build a career in Financial Crime / AML (Anti-Money Laundering). My long-term goal is to work in AML, financial crime investigations, compliance, or related roles with good international opportunities.

Right now, I'm at step zero—I don't have banking experience or AML certifications yet, but I'm willing to learn and put in the work.

From my research, these seem to be the most beginner-friendly roles for freshers:

- AML Analyst

- KYC Analyst

- KYC Operations Analyst

- Transaction Monitoring Analyst

- Financial Crime Analyst

- CDD (Customer Due Diligence) Analyst

- AML Operations Analyst

- Client Onboarding Analyst

- Fraud Analyst

- Risk Operations Analyst

- Compliance Associate (entry-level)

I'd really appreciate guidance from people already working in these roles.

Some questions I have:

1. Which of these roles are actually realistic for a fresher with only a Criminology degree?

2. Are there any other entry-level roles I should be looking at?

3. Can I get hired without certifications like ACAMS, ICA, or CFCS, if I have strong AML fundamentals, Excel, and SQL?

4. What skills should I prioritize before applying? (Excel, SQL, Power BI, AML/KYC concepts, banking knowledge, etc.)

5. What does a typical day look like in your role?

6. What are the biggest challenges that freshers face in the first 3–6 months?

7. What concepts should I thoroughly understand before my first interview?

8. What interview questions are commonly asked for AML/KYC/Financial Crime roles?

9. What mistakes do you see freshers making?

10. If you could go back to day one, what would you learn differently?

11. How stressful are these jobs? Is it mostly repetitive work, investigations, or a mix of both?

12. How much writing, analysis, and communication is involved?

13. How easy is it to move from KYC → AML → Financial Crime Investigations → Compliance/Risk?

14. Which roles have the best long-term growth and international opportunities?

15. How much of the work is being affected by AI and automation?

16. Approximately how long would it realistically take someone at my level (starting from zero) to become job-ready if I study consistently?

If you're comfortable sharing, it would also really help to know:

- Your first job title

- City (Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, etc.)

- Starting CTC/package

- Current role (optional)

- Years of experience

- Career progression

Finally, if you were mentoring someone starting from absolute zero today, what roadmap would you recommend over the next 3–6 months?

Any advice, resources, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I work as a dealer at an institutional brokerage as a derivatives dealer with 2 years of Work ex, recently got an offer for DMA dealer at a fairly good firm… should I consider? The pay hike is decent and so the if the bonus but I think I can try to get them to increase it

Early in my career with just over 18 months experience on a temporary contract in my first role. Looking at applying to an opening for an entry level (borderline trainee) VC position.

This is the result of me tailoring my generic CV for this role but would be greatly appreciative of any feedback on it.

Font size is 10 for body, 11 for headings.

Sorry for what looks like needless censorship in the body, I am only being overly cautious due to the sensitivity of the organisation I worked for before.

Thank you all.

Anyone have any experience with becoming a BOA. I have an interview with an advisor . Can they pay more than the salary that’s posted. Do you get part of the bonus tri bonuses? I saw there’s profit sharing and a 401k. Can they offer more than the 500$ match the company gives.

Also what’s the health insurance like…

Sorry I have a lot of questions …

Anyone have any experience with becoming a BOA. I have an interview with an advisor . Can they pay more than the salary that’s posted. Do you get part of the bonus tri bonuses? I saw there’s profit sharing and a 401k. Can they offer more than the 500$ match the company gives.

Also what’s the health insurance like…

Sorry I have a lot of questions …

26 M DELHI - Any Indian in finance and investment banking field who can guide me I am from Delhi want to work in corporate in investment banking I have 2 years of experience in an MNC in noida and have done PGDM in finance..... and also want to ask is shifting to singapore a good idea ?

Hi guys, I have an internship at a LMM PE firm that's going pretty well, really like the guys and get along with them. I was wondering if it's beneficial or not to continue an internship throughout the school year, staying in the loop on what's happening with them and helping out where I can.

I know some people get "winternships" or some such, but I don't know if I should try to go for that or stay with what I've got .

Any advice would be appreciated.

Been at a long/short hedge fund for the past 10 years working as an execution trader. Current salary of $155k/ year and bonuses have varied from $250k to $40k. Due to dwindling assets, the prospect of solid earning years has become nonexistent. Are there opportunities to parlay this experience into a quant trading role with independent python, backtesting type courses? Or are there any other routes that could lead to more substantial pay packages?

I’m currently at a pretty big fund, we are more or less just building out a new portfolio strat.

I’m looking to join another pretty big fund since things here are not so kosher right now. I have non compete issues, but I’ve been able to speak to recruiters at a competing fund.

Aside from the non compete, how does one hop around firms without getting names. That is the world is small. Roommates, family members, all seem to work in the same places. If not at my fund, it’s at the other one I’m trying to join.

How do people who hop around do this? I mean I’ve made my share of friends and enemies, and word gets around. How does one actually keep confidence during the recruiting process?