panther2k

Hi all,

I'm a rising senior this fall, and my plan is to work in IB for a few years before going back to school for a JD/MBA. The reason I'm pursuing a joint-degree is because, at this point, I'm still not sure what I want to do long-term. Besides simply satisfying a general intellectual curiosity, I think doing both would help me focus in on my interests while also putting me in a good position for whatever I do decide to do (i.e. private equity, government, service, etc.) Not worried about the JD too much as law school admissions is a straight numbers game and I'm good there. I do want to have a backup plan, however, in case banking doesn't work out. I'm somewhat interested in the Peace Corps, although I would prefer something in the business arena. Not generally interested in working in a finance department for a corporation, although I'm certainly not 100% against it. Any suggestions? I'm really just trying to generate fall-back options that are challenging and will put me in good position for admission to the very top b-schools a couple years down the line.

Thanks!

commentcomment

IB isn't generally an easy hire in our current economy. In this economy, chances of getting a IB job is very very slim and that is with a ivy league undergraduate degree and top grades and decent connections. The best way to get into IB is to get an internship. After they work you 16 hours a day or more on the internship and you can keep up for 3-4 months. They will consider offering you a position as a junior analyst. Also, its very difficult to get an IB internship and a lot of the internships are unpaid. If you really wanna stay in Finance, most people end up in corporate. Otherwise the peacecorp will be a better choice.

of course I do not know your grade and situation but if you have good connections to the IB world and you can handle the 80-90 hours a week. by all means go for it.

maxellis

There are microfinance programs where people from wealthier nations loan out money to a certain town or village in a third world country. I do not know too much about it, but I am sure you could find more about it using the googles.

panther2k

commentcomment, thanks for chiming in. I have fairly decent connections and am well-positioned as far as grades go. I will be doing FT interviews without a Summer Analyst experience so that will hurt me. I definitely agree that it's a tough market right now which is why I'm looking into fallback options.

maxellis, microfinance is actually a good idea and something I might be interested in. I'll definitely check it out.

Thanks again to you both!