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Started By
Message
Your high school aged kid wants to pursue a degree in Finance in college, a few MT ?s
Posted on 12/11/22 at 6:30 pm
Posted on 12/11/22 at 6:30 pm
Would appreciate any thoughts/advice re:
School / Degree program
Do's and Don'ts in determining Finance field of interest (Investment banking, Asset Mgmt, Corporate Finance, Real Estate, etc.)
General thoughts on the field of Finance
Thank you!
School / Degree program
Do's and Don'ts in determining Finance field of interest (Investment banking, Asset Mgmt, Corporate Finance, Real Estate, etc.)
General thoughts on the field of Finance
Thank you!
Posted on 12/11/22 at 6:56 pm to Turf Taint
Solid major that will be attractive to employers across multiple industries. If you live in LA, Tulane.
Posted on 12/11/22 at 7:08 pm to Turf Taint
If he wants to do something in “high finance”, do your best to go to a target school.
Posted on 12/11/22 at 9:46 pm to Turf Taint
Go to Tulane and then NYC or Houston.
Posted on 12/12/22 at 12:01 am to Turf Taint
Accounting, real estate finance and GIS.
Posted on 12/12/22 at 2:02 am to Turf Taint
(no message)
This post was edited on 12/12/22 at 6:59 am
Posted on 12/12/22 at 8:20 am to Turf Taint
Plenty of good schools out there. Some tips:
1) Become an Excel wiz. This will make them a more attractive candidate for employers, and also decreases any learning curve they’ll have.
2) Make sure to take extra accounting and tax courses beyond the minimum if possible. Having a strong foundation in these is a benefit for any finance professional.
1) Become an Excel wiz. This will make them a more attractive candidate for employers, and also decreases any learning curve they’ll have.
2) Make sure to take extra accounting and tax courses beyond the minimum if possible. Having a strong foundation in these is a benefit for any finance professional.
Posted on 12/12/22 at 8:43 am to barry
quote:
If he wants to do something in “high finance”, do your best to go to a target school.
I work in IB. This is the answer.
Posted on 12/12/22 at 8:58 am to Turf Taint
agree with others that it's a great well-rounded degree that would make an attractive employee candidate. Take tons of accounting courses. Important to get good internships - should spend lots of time focusing on this in school imo. I'd leave LA if that's where you are. Depending on where kid wants to work geographically, there are lots of decent options for finance. UT to work in TX for example would be good. I know GS recruits at Vanderbilt. It seems the big "name" schools are the best avenue to a high level finance job.
Posted on 12/12/22 at 10:07 am to Turf Taint
Explore career options early and often. Needs to network his balls off to understand jobs and get his foot in the door. Interviews for the “best” internships the summer after junior year happen as early as sophomore year.
If he goes to LSU he won’t get any help or direction, but if he puts in the work (grades, networking) he can land anywhere
If he goes to LSU he won’t get any help or direction, but if he puts in the work (grades, networking) he can land anywhere
Posted on 12/12/22 at 10:14 am to Turf Taint
quote:
Do's and Don'ts in determining Finance field of interest (Investment banking, Asset Mgmt, Corporate Finance, Real Estate, etc.)
I think this is going to come down to interests and long-term career goals. Sure, we all take detours and side trips along the way, but you have to know where you're going in order to get there without the wildest stroke of luck.
Posted on 12/12/22 at 10:19 am to Turf Taint
I’d say this would be like me wanting to play black panther in a movie
Like if he doesn’t have the right “early life and background” on his Wikipedia page he’s never gonna make it on Wall Street and will probably just end up selling insurance or something
Like if he doesn’t have the right “early life and background” on his Wikipedia page he’s never gonna make it on Wall Street and will probably just end up selling insurance or something
This post was edited on 12/12/22 at 10:20 am
Posted on 12/12/22 at 10:27 am to barry
quote:
If he wants to do something in “high finance”, do your best to go to a target school.
This. Finance majors are a dime a dozen. Internships along with the "right" school is the best way to break in, particularly if you have no connections.
Posted on 12/12/22 at 10:44 am to FinleyStreet
To provide a counterpoint, I’ve spent my entire career in high finance. Mainly middle and back office so not quite as lucrative. But you find all sorts of backgrounds even in front office positions. I’ve met music school graduates, I’ve met people without degrees, etc. and I’ve met some horrible finance majors with no knowledge. We hired an MBA one time who knew so little she didn’t last very long.
The main thing people want is someone who has a proven track record at other institutions and shown the ability to learn and make an impact.
Also, sometimes you may just have to work up.
Of course, as has been mentioned, sometimes your just never going to be in the running. My buddy always told me he was under qualified for his job by only having one Ivy League advanced degree
The main thing people want is someone who has a proven track record at other institutions and shown the ability to learn and make an impact.
Also, sometimes you may just have to work up.
Of course, as has been mentioned, sometimes your just never going to be in the running. My buddy always told me he was under qualified for his job by only having one Ivy League advanced degree
Posted on 12/12/22 at 11:47 am to athenslife101
The most standard and text book way to have a very lucrative career in finance:
1. Go to a great school with a great brand name (ivy league, quality state schools like Texas, Texas A&M, UNC, UVA, Michigan, quality non-ivy private schools like Duke, Chicago, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, USC)
2. Bust balls to get a job as an investment banking analyst for two years after undergrad
Do that and by the time you are mid 20s the world is your oyster (opens up jobs in the investing industry, private equity, etc, or can simply go a different route bc you'll be more than qualified for any other job)
1. Go to a great school with a great brand name (ivy league, quality state schools like Texas, Texas A&M, UNC, UVA, Michigan, quality non-ivy private schools like Duke, Chicago, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, USC)
2. Bust balls to get a job as an investment banking analyst for two years after undergrad
Do that and by the time you are mid 20s the world is your oyster (opens up jobs in the investing industry, private equity, etc, or can simply go a different route bc you'll be more than qualified for any other job)
Posted on 12/12/22 at 11:51 am to Free888
quote:
1) Become an Excel wiz. This will make them a more attractive candidate for employers, and also decreases any learning curve they’ll have.
To narrow it down, a good basis would simply be mastering Pivot Tables and VLookups.
I suck arse at excel. I hate spreadsheets. Learning those 2 things helped me tremendously as a purely sales focused person.
Posted on 12/12/22 at 12:13 pm to Turf Taint
Tell him to do something more valuable to society 

Posted on 12/12/22 at 12:38 pm to LSUShock
Pivot tables and vlookups is elementary Excel even if very useful.
To the OP, how smart is said kid? What a Finance degree can do for you will start with the head on the shoulders. It has broad application but depending on aspirations there are better / more efficient routes to get there.
Some posts in high finance gigs…arguably the hardest and most selective to land. That requires a more dedicated and thoughtful approach.
If he wants to sell insurance or work at a local bank, then any 4 year university is fine.
To the OP, how smart is said kid? What a Finance degree can do for you will start with the head on the shoulders. It has broad application but depending on aspirations there are better / more efficient routes to get there.
Some posts in high finance gigs…arguably the hardest and most selective to land. That requires a more dedicated and thoughtful approach.
If he wants to sell insurance or work at a local bank, then any 4 year university is fine.
Posted on 12/12/22 at 1:47 pm to Turf Taint
High finance wants IT people.
MIS degrees. Able to make their own programs for customizable data and reports.
The problem comes from the IT hires lacking the personality and people skills to advance their careers much further than just running the programming.
Every firm is looking for a differentiating principle. That is usually in the world of data.
The managers then sell the data to attract/retain clientele.
I'm sure the labor markets may look very different 15 to 20 years from now.
But this is the word on the street.
MIS degrees. Able to make their own programs for customizable data and reports.
The problem comes from the IT hires lacking the personality and people skills to advance their careers much further than just running the programming.
Every firm is looking for a differentiating principle. That is usually in the world of data.
The managers then sell the data to attract/retain clientele.
I'm sure the labor markets may look very different 15 to 20 years from now.
But this is the word on the street.
Posted on 12/12/22 at 1:50 pm to lynxcat
I still don’t really use b lookups and haven’t really ever had to. That is still the standard though that you must be able to.
Being able to build macros and knowing vba is important.
I remember getting out down when I interviewed for JPM “you still use excel. We haven’t used excel in 5 years” back in 2018/2019.
Everywhere is different. Be able to learn
Being able to build macros and knowing vba is important.
I remember getting out down when I interviewed for JPM “you still use excel. We haven’t used excel in 5 years” back in 2018/2019.
Everywhere is different. Be able to learn
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