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<p>You would be wrong in this regard. Ibanks actively recruit at many schools that do not even offer finance or accounting courses. If you don’t take advantage of the opportunities offered, that’s one thing, but if you’re at Brown or Williams, you’re not going to be penalized because you never had the opportunity to take financial accounting.</p>
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These courses are completely irrelevant to anything your son will be doing. If they are of interest, sure, go ahead and take them. Otherwise, they could just as easily be replaced by courses in interpretive dance or music theory. </p>
<p>As to your other questions, your son needs to learn the difference between the various roles in finance before you can get a meaningful answer to this question. Advanced math and object-oriented programming are beyond useless in investment banking. They may, however, be absolutely vital for a quantitative finance position. It needs to be stressed that these positions are essentially different careers. Although they are both technically finance, investment banking programs will target econ majors straight out of undergrad where as quant positions by and large look for math or physics phds. </p>
<p>Also, this should go without saying, but the fact that you’re creating this post and not your son is a huge red flag. Your son needs to be the one showing the initiative, not you.
There are very few positions (if any) that require anywhere near the number of hours that investment banking analysts and associates work. Before you start, it’s hard to imagine the toll that working a month straight without a day off or pulling back-to-back all nighters takes on your body. It is not a decision to take lightly.</p>