Wall Street Oasis: Recent Episodes
Wall Street Oasis
Gain critical career and life insights from the most inspirational members on Wall Street Oasis. Detailed advice around recruiting, interviewing, networking and "day-in-the-life" segments. Even those who've "made it" usually didn't follow a straight path. Join us to hear of the twists and turns of successful professionals across investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, management consulting, prop trading, asset management and more!
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Another fun chat with our interns! To apply for the WSO Finance Research internship, go here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/wall-street-oasis-finance-research-analyst-internship
In this episode, Grace shares the outcome from her Real Estate internship over the past summer and what she is doing her senior year to plan for full time. Is this the end of the road for our mentor-mentee relationship? Time for a victory lap.
In this session, Victor gives us all a lesson on the various roles as a financial advisor at Fidelity. We learn the difference between a Relationship Manager, Financial Consultant and Investment Consultant is and how pay is structured from the most junior levels to the highest levels. Victor talks about his next steps to gain more skills including an exam on Insurance and starting his CFP and CFA in the near future.
Another fun chat with our interns! To apply for the WSO Finance Research internship, go here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/wall-street-oasis-finance-research-analyst-internship
Another fun chat with our interns! To apply for the WSO Finance Research internship, go here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/wall-street-oasis-finance-research-analyst-internship
Another fun chat with our interns including more resume reviews live! To apply for the WSO Finance Research internship, go here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/wall-street-oasis-finance-research-analyst-internship
Another fun chat with our interns including a review of networking strategies and why it's important to start right away! To apply for the WSO Finance Research internship, go here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/wall-street-oasis-finance-research-analyst-internship
Another fun chat with our interns including another brutal resume review someone that needs a lot of help! Check this out on Youtube to be able to see the resumes. To apply for the WSO Finance Research internship, go here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/wall-street-oasis-finance-research-analyst-internship
Another fun chat with our interns including another resume review of another intern that needs to know her bullets better! Check this out on Youtube to be able to see the resume. To apply for the WSO Finance Research internship, go here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/wall-street-oasis-finance-research-analyst-internship
In this episode, Jasdeep shares his winding path from Argentina around the globe for work and school. Listen to why he attended undergrad in the US and then why he went to the UK for a Masters. How he ended up taking his time to make sure he got a high score on the GMAT to attend a top business school in Europe and how he ended up back in Argentina working at a private equity fund.
Another fun chat with our interns including another resume review of another intern that made dramatic improvements! Check this out on Youtube to be able to see the resumes. To apply for the WSO Finance Research internship, go here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/wall-street-oasis-finance-research-analyst-internship
Another fun chat with our interns including 3 rapid fire resume reviews! To apply, go here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/wall-street-oasis-finance-research-analyst-internship
In this episode, Hans shares his winding path from college, to IB in the Netherlands and eventually Egypt. Listen to hear how he valued international exposure and how he was able to land a position with the private arm of the World Bank.
Another fun chat with our interns. To apply, go here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/off-topic/wall-street-oasis-finance-research-analyst-internship
In this episode, Laura shares her path from Eastern Europe to a top target uni in London. We learn how she broke into investment banking, how she survived with ADHD and being neuro-diverse and eventually, how she broke into one of the top growth equity teams at a megafund.
In this episode, we hear about how Victor is settling into life in Southern California, even though his car was stolen. Also, a quick surprise promotion as well. Listen to find out how.
In this episode, Carlos shares his winding road from a non-target school and graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering to the finance world. We hear about how he went from grueling operations work and narrowly avoiding several restructurings to eventually obtaining an MBA from Booth and why he ended up in FP&A before transitioning to an operational PE role.
We talk equity research, CFA and career paths in this weekly chat with the WSO interns.
In this session, Victor gives us an update on his Series 7 and 63 exams and he tells us about the success he's had networking and as a result, a big internal transfer and move coming up soon.
Really fun session with the interns where we discuss everything from the Masters in Finance vs. the MBA, the CFA vs financial modeling training.
In this episode, member RexBanner shares his unique path as an Anthropology major to venture capitalist. We learn that initially he wanted to be a lawyer, when he figured out that was not a great idea, the struggles he went through from a non-target for uni and how eventually he pivoted to management consulting out of the London School of Economics.
Wow, 200 episodes...super exciting journey with all of you, my listeners. THANK YOU. This episode we're having another fun chat with the WSO Finance Research intern team. Listen to some age old career advice and how to do coffee chats the RIGHT way and the WRONG way. Again, if you're interested in applying to this internship you can find a link in the show notes. LEARN MORE HERE.
In this short session, we catch up with Grace to hear how she's prepping for her real estate internship with Blackstone. We go over what she's currently involved in and give her a few tips to help her get ready.
In this episode, I'll be chatting with WSO's new finance research intern team and answering specific questions about the internship itself and we talk about the biggest mistake of applying for job online. If you're interested in applying to this internship you can find a link in the show notes. LEARN MORE HERE.
In this episode, Kevin shares his story coming out of West Point. We learn why he was interested in serving in the military, how many tours he did in Afghanistan, why he started his MBA online while serving and how he was able to land a role in private equity on a deal origination team.
In this episode, member Real_Estate_PE shares his path coming from a top target school in Italy. We learn what he did when he got no responses for his Summer internship applications, how he was able to land an off-cycle internship at a bulge bracket bank, why he ended up in real estate and how he is headed to a megafund soon.
In this episode, I'll be chatting with WSO's new finance research intern team and answering specific questions about the internship itself, career planning and more. If you're interested in applying to this internship you can find a link in the show notes. LEARN MORE HERE.
In Part 2, we pick up from Part 1 and learn how WS is able to make an internal transition at his bulge bracket bank to get even closer to the actual trading, eventually becoming Vice President on the High Yield Credit desk before another sudden turn of events would leave him out of a job for 6 months. Find out how he ended up at an even better Bulge Bracket after a half-year hiatus, but this time in a research capacity and why he left after less than 2 years to finally join a hedge fund putting his ideas to work.
In this episode, WS_PWND shares his background in classical music and performance prepared him for some of the most competitive jobs in finance. In Part 1 of 2, we learn about the accident that changed everything and the big break he got right after the Great Financial Crisis to land his first job in finance in the back office. Listen to hear how he turned that opportunity into his first of many transitions to a front office role to become a Leveraged Finance Originations Analyst at a regional firm to the same role at a bulge bracket bank and what that meant for his career.
In this episode, member Real_Estate_PE shares his path coming from a top target school in Italy. We learn what he did when he got no responses for his Summer internship applications, how he was able to land an off-cycle internship at a bulge bracket bank, why he ended up in real estate and how he is headed to a megafund soon.
In this episode, I'll be chatting with WSO's new finance research intern team and answering specific questions about the internship itself, career planning and more.
If you're interested in applying to this internship you can find a link in the show notes.
LEARN MORE HERE.
In Part 2, we pick up from Part 1 and learn how WS is able to make an internal transition at his bulge bracket bank to get even closer to the actual trading, eventually becoming Vice President on the High Yield Credit desk before another sudden turn of events would leave him out of a job for 6 months. Find out how he ended up at an even better Bulge Bracket after a half-year hiatus, but this time in a research capacity and why he left after less than 2 years to finally join a hedge fund putting his ideas to work.
In this episode, WS_PWND shares his background in classical music and performance prepared him for some of the most competitive jobs in finance. In Part 1 of 2, we learn about the accident that changed everything and the big break he got right after the Great Financial Crisis to land his first job in finance in the back office. Listen to hear how he turned that opportunity into his first of many transitions to a front office role to become a Leveraged Finance Originations Analyst at a regional firm to the same role at a bulge bracket bank and what that meant for his career.
In this episode, Cocrew shares his path from a non-target university to a bulge bracket investment banking analyst role. We learn how he was able to land multiple relevant internships and how his networking emails yielded such a high response rate. Listen to hear how his first foray into private equity recruiting was a train wreck and how he turned it around only 4 months later.
In this episode, we follow Alex on his winding road through various VC and IB internships in college, including one at Goldman Sachs to his latest jump to the fintech space at Lex Markets. Learn what went wrong at the Goldman internship and the first start-up and advice to some of the younger listeners trying to navigate similar waters.
In this episode, Jonathan Kroll, partner of RareBreed VC fund shares his winding path coming out of UC Santa Barbara. From teaching himself how to code to launching two startups out of school to attending Cornell's Johnson School of Management for his MBA many years later, Jonathan explains how he successfully pivoted to venture capital by landing an internship with Andreesen Horowitz in their Market Development group. RareBreed VC
In this episode, CapM shares his path from a top target in the UK to working in debt capital markets for an investment bank in Singapore. We learn why he moved to the UK for school, why he ended up back in Singapore and why he made the jump to Treasury for a large corporation in Hong Kong.
In this episode, Bryan shares his winding path while attending Berkeley and his first few years out of school. From landing a VC internship his sophomore year, to a junior year internship in the cross-border M&A group of JP Morgan in Hong Kong to a jump to strategy consulting full time, learn some of his secrets to success during recruiting as well as why he decided to join Google as an Associate Product Manager.
In this episode, we continue my talk with Propshead about his progression as an investor at a top hedge fund. Learn what is expected of you when you first start, how you can grow and listen to one of the trades that changed everything.
In this episode, we follow member Propshead on his nontraditional path working in emerging markets in various startups to working as a strategy consultant before his MBA. Learned a key step he took before going to business school in order to be able to break into a top hedge fund post-MBA as well as how he was able to get enough internships on his CV to overcome his non-traditional work experience.
In this episode, Dick shares his winding path from George Washington University to investment banking. We learn why he took a few years off in the middle of college, why it took him another 3 years after graduation to get into investment banking and why he recently made the jump to leave a lucrative vice president position to jump into the world of Hollywood. Find him on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiGECGV0VM3_zXqbJBKDz3g Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/dickjokescomedy/
In this episode, Howie shares his story as an immigrant moving to the United States when he was 15 years old. Learn how he picked up English so fast, how he did so well in high school, how he became the first member in his family to attend college, how a back office internship at a bank opened his eyes to investment banking and how he ended up landing that first IB internship. We hear about how he converted the internship into a full time offer and his risky approach that paid off during private equity recruiting.
In this episode, we catch up with Victor the same day after he finishes up his Series 7 top off exam after a grueling few months of studying. Listen to hear why he's headed to Hawaii for a few months and the advice I give him in his ever shifting plans.
In this episode, Dave, aka CertifiedFinanceAce, shares his winding path and how he has found a great career as a senior valuation associate making over 10 times what he did just 5 short years ago. Listen to hear how the Great Financial Crisis in 2009 rocked his family life and his outlook, why he decided to start attending community college, how he transitioned to a 4 years school and managed not to take on any debt, how internships and the CFA helped open doors and the one strategy he has used to make almost every transition possible, including the latest to a senior valuation associate role where he is given a lot of autonomy and loves his job.
In this episode, Yuriy shares his path from Boulder to operations at Goldman in Salt Lake City back in 2007. Learn how he survived job cuts and got promoted and why he eventually decided to get an MBA at Insead. Hear how he graduated with an MBA unemployed but then how he was able to get his foot back in the door at an unexpected team, only to be promoted again to a front office trading position on the fixed income desk. After 4 years, we learn why he risked it all to join a small 4 person start-up trading cryptocurrencies and how that lead to his current role as Head of Trading at the fast growing startup called Anchorage.
In this session, we catch up with Tarnvir as he has made the successful transfer to Emory from Baruch since we last spoke over the summer. We have a long discussion about diversity programs, summer analyst recruiting and a plan for him as he enters a critical juncture in his Sophomore year.
In this episode, EquityTrader shares her path from a Masters degree in France to working in FX Sales in Belgium. We learn why she was so confident quitting, how she ended up in Germany at a French bank working in Asset Secured Financing Sales and finally, what lead to the most jump to work in London as an equity trader over the past three years.
In this episode, Chris shares his winding path from the University of Miami all the way to his current role as an investment analyst at Titan, a fast growing fintech firm. We cover a lot in this episode: Hear about his role in the back office at a bulge bracket investment bank, Why he was trying to get out before his role even started, How he transitioned to a boutique investment bank on the west coast, What he did when that blew up How he was duped into taking a CorpFin position that promised the world His amazing experience working at a family office His quarter life crisis and finally His new investment analyst role at Titan Buckle up and enjoy!
In this session, Grace shares her experience working at Citi as a summer analyst across two groups. Listen to some important lessons and what her plans are for Junior Year since she already has her Blackstone internship lined up for next summer.
In this short session, Grace and I discuss her Citi internship this summer and I give her some advice on how to make sure she doesn't burn out with the long weeks.
In this session, Victor shares how his life has changed since starting training at Fidelity in their asset management division. We learn about his upcoming SIE, Series 7 and Series 66 exams, but one major piece of news looms large and may change everything.
In this episode, we hear from Aaron, a former investment banking associate that worked in equity capital markets at Barclays in New York. Learn how he managed to land a job in investment banking coming from Arizona State and why he made a brave leap after almost three years in the industry. Hear why he moved down to Miami and what he's up to now.
In this episode, NonTarget5 shares his path from a non-target school in the Southeast to landing at a top investment bank as an associate. Learn how even at a part-time MBA program with minimal IB placement he beat out kids from Wharton, Fuqua and Darden. Listen to hear how his path of promotions in a corporate role for 7 years played a large role and some advice on what he would have done differently.
In this episode, S shares her story from India to the one year Duke Masters of Management program. We learn how she landed a role as a buyside analyst at a high yield credit shop, how she made the transition from the office in the US to London, why she got promoted and why she is now back in the US at Kellogg doing an accelerated MBA.
In this episode, Julia shares her non-traditional path. From landing a sales & trading internship at Morgan Stanley and realizing it wasn't a good fit to landing multiple offers at a wide variety of firms, listen to why she chose to join General Motors' FLDP program and why she stayed for 4 years. Understand why she chose to leave when she did and how she prepared for the transition to venture capital investor.
In this episode Chris shares his path from the University of Zurich to working in Citi's London office for 14 years. Listen to hear his recruiting advice, what it was like when the Great Financial Crisis hit when he was an analyst in 2008, what that meant for his future, how his roles and pay shifted as he got promoted as well as some Dos and Don'ts while networking.
In this episode, Synergy shares his path from a non-target school in the US to working in China post-graduation in consulting. Listen to hear how he thrived in China, transitioned to a Big 4 in Transaction Services as one of the only expats in the office and eventually, how he used an MBA to transition back to the US and break into investment banking at a bulge bracket. Also, hear his thoughts on work-life balance and how the culture at many banks leaves a lot to be desired.
In this episode, Dan shares his path from the strategy group at Accenture, to M&A strategy at Deloitte and how he positioned himself to work with private equity clients. We learn what he does day to day and how his responsibilities have shifted now that he is working within a private equity fund to help their portfolio companies drive growth.
In this episode, member @yekino shares his interesting path to high finance. From attending a program in university that had him going to school in Italy, Hong Kong and California to breaking into a summer analyst role in London at a US bulge bracket investment bank, listen how he navigated each transition and his tips on recruiting as well as his thoughts on the differences between investment banking and megafund private equity in London.
In this episode, Rohan shares the details on investment banking recruiting in the UK out of Oxford. We then explore how he ended up in investment banking, best practices for private equity recruiting as well as his transition to a middle market firm in London. He then offers us a very detailed breakdown of various Visas and Green Card considerations when trying to move to the US for work since he recently navigated a transition of his own.
In this episode, we learn how Gerard left college early to go pursue a professional hockey career in Europe. Find out how he broke into Columbia almost 5 years later, why he was so behind for finance recruiting and how he got his first break at Citi in equity research, only to jump 5 months later to Point72 as a research analyst. Listen to hear why he made the jump to a startup called Hivecell and what they are up to now.
In this episode, Marcellus shares his path as a gas trader for over a decade. Learn how he survived graduating into the great financial crises, how he got his first break, the set up at a large energy company doing prop energy trading and how that was different from a trading house as well as 2 key pieces of wisdom he shares near the end on how to position yourself for a similar career.
In this episode, BankertoConsultant shares his path from a target school in the midwest to a bulge bracket investment banking analyst role in New York. Learn how he was able to make a transition from the FIG group in New York to the Technology group in San Francisco and why he moved back to India for a Strategy and Business Development role a year before applying for top MBAs. Listen to hear the reasons he thinks he was able to get into a top 3 MBA as well as why he chose to go to one of the top consulting firms coming out of school.
In this episode, @monkeydomination015 shares with us his path coming from a non-target university in the south. We learn how he was able to stack internships during his time at university to land himself at Fortress in the real estate arm right out of school. Learn why he decided to go into investment banking at a boutique shop and how he was able to leverage that role to land in corporate development at a large healthcare company.
In this episode, Kevin shares his rare path of breaking into private equity at a lower middle market fund right after his MBA at Emory after stints in consulting and investment banking. Listen to hear why he took a large pay cut, why he didn't want to go back to being an advisor and how he eventually found himself running investments for a large family office.
In this episode, James shares his non-traditional path from the University of Georgia to working at UBS in investment banking once he graduated. We'll hear about a big risk he took delaying graduation, how he recovered when he was forced to finish his analyst stint early and why he ended up back in IB at Lazard a few years later before finally making the transition to private equity.
In this episode, we follow Charles on his winding international investment banking career path. From undergrad at McGill, to working as an IB analyst in New York, to attending HEC for his Masters of Science in Paris to his eventual move to London, we find out why he jumped when he did and how he survived the long hours to find the right firm where the culture was a great fit.
In this episode, we learn about Calvin's path from investment banking at Perella Weinberg Partners (PWP) to corporate development at some of the top technology firms in the world including DropBox and Twitter. Listen to hear how he broke into investment banking out of Berkeley, the big risk he took going into his senior year and what it's really like working on the inside of one of these tech darlings. We talk about pay, lifestyle and some great advice for those of you looking to follow in his footsteps.
In this episode, Jaimi Goodfriend, Head of Point72's Investment Professional Development and director of the Point72 Academy shares her winding path through Wall Street. From starting in M&A when she graduated from Michigan in 1997 to her jump to equity research a few years later, we learn the main reason she decided to pursue a career in finance and how she eventually ended up as a hedge fund analyst working for some of the most successful funds in the world including Balyasny and Citadel. Find out why after 3 years on the buyside she decided to take a massive pay cut and give it all up to become a professor at the University of Illinois and what drew her to Point72. Finally, in the last part of the pod, we discuss the Point72 Academy, what they look for in undergraduate hires and young professionals, the future of the industry as well as the odds of actually breaking in. Key links: Point72 Academy (https://academy.point72.com/)
In this episode, ConsumerInvestor shares her path from a non-target school to breaking into the equity research group at a bulge bracket bank. We learn how she landed a key sophomore summer internship, why she was so attracted to equity research, and how she eventually made the transition to another bulge bracket bank in order to get into investment banking. Listen to hear how Covid changed everything, what she did with her promotion to associate, and what main tool she used to help her navigate the private equity recruiting process.
In this episode, member Benioff The Third shares his unlikely path from a non-target school on the east coast to one of the top VC funds on the west coast. We learn how he broke into investment banking at a middle-market shop, why he lateralled to a bulge bracket in tech M&A and eventually why he made the leap to VC. Listen to some great tips on how to position yourself to make a successful transition into venture capital as well as how he got comfortable starting his own business after only one year in VC.
In this episode, Matt shares his impressive path from UPENN as a biology major to equity research at Morgan Stanley. Learn how he managed to make an internal lateral move in Morgan Stanley's tech IB team, how that opened up the opportunity at Khosla in venture capital and how he approached starting his own business. Finally, learn why Matt ended up back in the corporate world as the HEad of Corp Dev at ServiceNow and why he recently pivoted to the Head of Strategic Finance.
In this episode, Harrison shares why he turned down a full ride to Stanford to play soccer at Indiana University, how he broke into investment banking at JP Morgan and why he transitioned to a smaller middle market firm in Cleveland. Learn how he quickly positioned himself for one of the few coveted private equity spots in Cleveland and how he's already been promoted early twice in his young career.
In this special episode, I give honest advice to a small group of MBAs and MSF students from John Hopkins University that face an uphill battle when trying to apply to front office finance roles. We talk strategy when networking, the future of WSO and I try not to sugar coat anything.
In this episode, John shares his path from a non-target university to his current job in real estate private equity in south Florida. Learn how he was able to land his first internship in M&A, how he managed to transition an internship role into a full-time offer from a family office post-graduation and what he did when he was fired 3 months later. Listen to hear what saved John countless times when his career could have taken a very different turn for the worse.
In this episode, Omar shares his winding path trying to find his way forward. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, he didn't feel pressure to get a traditional job coming out of school and had experimented with side hustles throughout his time at the University of Toronto. Listen to hear about his networking hack when he was working in dead-end Asset Management and Equity research jobs, why he moved to Calgary and later to upstate New York with no job lined up and what changed to allow him to start to build significant wealth in Texas.
In this episode, we hear about Pierre's improbable story. From growing up with almost nothing to being a first-generation high school and college graduate and earning $30,000 in his first job out of school, to pursuing a master's in organizational psychology and eventually landing at UVA for his MBA at Darden. We learn how he managed to secure a job at Goldman during the great financial crisis in the Private Wealth Management division, how he navigated feeling like an outsider and why he eventually moved back out west.
In this episode, TarHeelMonkey shares his path from UNC to BAML. We understand what interested him in finance back when he was in 8th grade, why he didn't get a full-time offer in his first summer and why he ended up transitioning into private equity after 1.5 years in banking.
In this episode, "Max" shares his path on how he broke into investment banking in London coming from a non-target school in Italy. Learn how networking played a role, how he made the cut during a competitive intern year with an offer rate under 50% and how he was able to close 10 deals in under 4 years once he joined full time. Listen to his struggles with private equity recruiting and how he balanced the difficult process with his full-time banking role to successfully land on his feet
In this episode, Andy shares his path from NYU Stern to the stressful summer analyst internship recruiting process. We learn how he ended up at UBS, what happened when his group, Power and Utilities got dissolved, his strategic decision to join the energy group, and how he leveraged his time in banking to land a very interesting corporate development & strategy role that allows him to dabble in the public and private markets as well as growth equity and venture.
In this episode, Dan shares his unlikely path as a history major at a complete non-target college in the midwest. We learn how he was unemployed when he first graduated, how his first job was in the back office, how he managed to break into a business analyst role at a respected boutique investment bank and how he managed the delicate conversations to transition to a front-office IB role at that same bank. Listen to how he navigated private equity recruiting and how one person made a dramatic shift in his thought process and trajectory.
In this episode, Ken Margolis, Partner of Castle Placement walks us through his 30-year finance career. We learn how he quickly moved from Audit at Arthur Anderson back in the 80s to structured finance with Soloman Brothers as his first client, how Credit Suisse (then First Boston) made him an offer he couldn't refuse to jump ship, how he survived multiple crises and layoffs and why he ended up transitioning to Merrill in 1999. Listen to hear about his long successful run there, all of the different groups he worked in, what he liked best and why right before the great financial crisis he decided to leave and set up his own business.
In this episode, Sarah explains why she ended up at a non-target school, how her 4.0 GPA opened a lot of doors and how she ended up at a bulge bracket investment bank in New York. Learn how she dealt with private equity recruiting and when she realized that she was more interested in growth equity and the VC world. Finally, listen to how she got her big break and was able to make the jump, but only after 3 years in investment banking and an analyst to associate promotion.
In this episode, Jakub shares his winding path going to university in Prague and leveraging multiple internships including at KPMG and Accenture to get important experience. Learn why he went to Seoul, how he landed a full time offer at an investment bank in Vienna, why he transitioned to Munich and some sacrifices he made along the way for family.
In this episode, MilitaryMonkey shares his winding path from West Point to serving in the army for over 5 years. Hear what happened on his birthday when he was stationed in Afghanistan, when he thought an MBA might be a good idea and how he broke into a top bulge bracket bank as an associate with no previous technical background. Also, pay special attention to how he approached his role as a post-MBA associate in IB to be successful.
In this episode, we learn how Joe used an extra year of school to get a masters in accounting in order to get another shot at recruiting and how he was able to land a relevant position to IB in Capital Markets Advisory at a Big 4 right out of school. Listen to hear how he was then able to make a successful transition to the healthcare group at Jefferies where he stayed for 2 years, what he learned in his short 7-month stint after lateraling to Rothschild's restructuring group and eventually, how he ended up working in corporate development making well into mid-6-figures in his early 30s. During this chat, Joe kept harping on one thing that helped him pave his own path, and I don't think it will surprise any of you...
In this episode, Alex shares his winding path. This includes his stops at: a non-target university in London to an equity research internship in Moscow, to a target masters program in London, to a 6-month internship at SocGen where he was laid off, only to be re-hired into another group 2 months later, to his internal jump within SocGen to the TMT group from FIG, another lateral, this time externally to JP Morgan's TMT group and finally, his latest jump to a megafund in private equity. Listen to hear how he feels his path to private equity would have been much easier if he had just done this one thing...
In this episode, Elliott shares his winding path from majoring in Mechanical Engineering to breaking into management consulting at Accenture. Learn why he decided to go to Harvard Business School to break into private equity but made one important pivot before enrolling. Listen to how he hustled during school to make his dream a reality and why he ended up pivoting after a year to work in Sales and Strategy at Work Day. There are some very important lessons in this episode about independent sponsors as a model to get into private equity, so pay attention and learn why he eventually ended up setting up his own M&A advisory diligence business.
In this episode, ColoradoMonkey shares his path from a non-target undergraduate state school to an investment banking role at a top bank. We learn how he was able to suddenly unlock ten interviews AFTER striking out on his last superday early in his junior year.... as well as how he was able to take a similar mindset to help him land in private equity less than 2 years later.
In this episode, BoutiqueBananas shares his path from graduating near the top of his class at Wharton, why he ended up at Moelis for two years and why he decided to travel for a year after his analyst stint. Learn how he got back into investment banking only to be laid off soon after and how he is approaching his next search.
In this episode, CorpDevWestCoast shares his path experiencing several 6-month long internships during undergrad to landing in portfolio management at a firm that deals exclusively with ultra high net worth clients. We learn about the investor allocation or fund of funds world, the ugly side of wealth management, how he showed a genuine passion for PWM to survive recruiting as well as what came out of over 300+ applications. Listen to why he decided on the MBA and the importance of optionality early in your career.
In this episode, Sara walks us through her time at Michigan working toward both a bachelors and masters in engineering as well as how she was able to land an internship alongside other MBAs at Microsoft to help launch her career into strategy and corporate development in the cloud computing space. We learn how her technical background was an asset and about her thought process of transitioning to Google's corp dev team instead of the next shiny startup in silicon valley.
In this episode, Roger shares his story of coming from a family in construction to working at a Big 4 in the real estate consulting division. We learn what motivated him to pursue accounting and finance in college, what he did when he realized he was behind his peers with no sophomore internship, and how he made the transition from audit successfully.
In this episode, James shares his path from the non-profit world and the Peace Corp to working as an associate in private equity after getting his MBA from Duke. We learn what it was like living in Costa Rica working for the Grameen bank as well as how he defied all odds to land a job in private equity, even after he didn't get a return offer from Moelis after his summer associate role there.
In this episode, @TexasInvestor shares his winding road from a non-target to starting law school to a sudden pivot to a Masters in Finance. Learn how he broke into a bulge bracket investment bank and why he was so eager to get out and what it has been like working for several family offices in the fund of funds space as a capital allocator.
In this episode, we learn how Barrett managed to break into investment banking out of the University of San Diego even though he didn't even know what investment banking was until his Junior year. He gives some must-listen advice on networking, how to interview when you're not a subject matter expert and how he was able to find the right opportunity in venture capital coming out of investment banking on the west coast.
In this episode, PragueHF shares her road from studying law and business in Prague to starting out in a commercial banking rotational program in Germany. We learn about why when she was transferred to London that she decided to stay even though it meant switching banks and how she approached her big jump to a buyside credit fund in the past year.
In this episode, Solomon shares his path from Ethiopia to the DC area when he was just 6 years old. Learn how his path was shaped at UVA to consider finance and how his internship at JP Morgan in S&T pushed him to consider banking instead. Listen how he shares some great advice on brand name and taking on risk early in your career.
In this episode, Brittany gives us a front-row seat to her long and winding path to land as a management consultant at BCG. Find out how she was disadvantaged as a first-generation college student, why she went back to get her MBA at UCLA Anderson and how that propelled her into a much more rewarding and intellectually stimulating path she is on now. Along the way, Brittany has also found time to give back by founding SuitcaseOfJoy.org, a non-profit that brings toys to children in remote villages in Africa and around the world. Please check it out and consider donating.
In this episode, Cole shares his winding path in real estate private equity. From landing an analyst position in Agricultural PE right out of Duke to pivoting to a CRE acquisitions and dispositions role, he has always looked to make the move where he'll learn the most rather than chase the biggest paycheck. Learn what he's up to now in the midst of the major slow down due to Covid-19.
In this episode, LiberalArtsBanker shares his winding path from a small liberal arts college to VP at Goldman Sachs in investment banking. Learn why he started out in a trading role, why he jumped to a prop shop after a few years, his advice on trying to build a career as a trader as well as why he pivoted to IB with an MBA.
In this episode, chicago13 shares his winding path graduating from Berkeley in 2006 and trying to make it big by building apps and living in the start-up ecosystem in Silicon Valley. Listen to why it didn't work out along with some words of warning, what the main turning point was and why he ended up getting his JD and jumping into Big Law...only to leave one year later to join a middle-market investment bank. Learn about the common associate struggles starting out in IB, why he was screamed at during a Holiday Party and how he managed to overcome those obstacles to get promoted to VP.
In this episode, Jason shares his path coming from a non-target school, and how a mentor from his home town changed his life. Listen to how he was able to land a few critical internships, prepare for the interviews, and beat the odds to land a full-time offer in the fixed income division of Morgan Stanley right out of undergrad. Learn why he ended up moving over to Citi in their investment banking division and eventually why he jumped to the buy-side at a family office.
In this episode, Tim shares his path graduating with a masters in engineering and quickly losing his job as the scandal at Enron unfolded. We learn how he got back on his feet, how he leveraged the MBA to get a job in investment banking on the west coast during the great financial crisis in 2009 and eventually how he had a 10 year run from Associate up to Director at Barclays. This is a long one, but Tim was a really insightful guest so I wanted to unpack what each stage was like for him.
In this episode, FinTechSF shares his winding path from graduating during the financial crisis in 2008 and having to leave the US as an international student back to Dubai. Learn how he got his foot in the door at PwC in audit and managed to make the transition over to the transaction advisory practice in only 1.5 years even though they kept telling him no. Find out why he moved back to the US a few years later and eventually joined the corporate side in their M&A group.
In this episode, Yuri shares his winding path starting out graduating from his master's program in London right at the start of the global financial crisis and turning down an offer to start at Goldman Sachs to travel the world and try to get into a more direct investing role. Listen to his great advice on specific questions to ask when interviewing for asset management or hedge fund roles as a junior analyst and also make sure to check out his blog snippet.finance, a place where he shares interesting snippets of financial data and analysis.
In this episode, SkininTheGame16 shares his non-traditional path to a top asset manager in London. From dropping out of high school to traveling abroad to breaking into a top Masters program in London, hear how he navigated some unforgiving circumstances growing up in Brussels.
In this episode, Avi shares his unusual path from investment banking, to running a magazine start-up and then back into investment banking two years later. After that re-entry into finance, Avi was able to lateral to an IR role at a private equity fund and eventually became COO of Riverside's European Fund 7 years later. Finally, he made the bold (and I'd argue crazy) move to pursue a phD while working and everntually found himself at Landmark, a private equity fund focused on the secondary market, running the quant research division.
In this episode, Stephanie shares her winding path over her almost 20 years in finance. From getting a ton of responsibility early in her career for internal M&A at a Big 4 to her pivot into investment banking in DCM, she always seemed to find her way to rapid promotions and managing large teams. Learn what she feels set her apart and how you might be able to emulate some of that magic.
In this episode, Daniel shares his long and winding path in finance careers. Initially getting his undergrad degree, a CPA and a Masters in Finance in France, he moved the USA with Deloitte in their restructuring practice. From there, he used an MBA from NYU Stern to jump into investment banking at Lehman Brothers, starting as an associate with 3 young kids. We learn how he was able to make the jump into a real estate private equity fund and what happened 4 years later during the Great Financial Crisis. Listen to hear some wise advice on how to survive many twists and turns!
In this episode, Ryan shares his interesting path from graduating as an Engineer in rural Canada to pivoting to get his MBA from Oxford several years later. Learn why he ended up joining E&Y's transaction advisory services upon graduating and how he was able to land a hybrid job in private equity and venture capital within one year in London. We also hear why he decided to leave it all behind 5 years later for a new degree to get back to his technical roots and what his new business in data analytics, called Zenlytics is up to.
In this episode, Sam explains his path from the Ivey School of Business to an investment banking analyst position at Credit Suisse in London, right during the financial crisis in 2008. We learn why he turned down a return full-time offer from Scotiabank and rolled the dice his senior year, what it was like when half his analyst class got laid off within 9 months at Credit Suisse and why he jumped to a hedge fund after two years in IB. We then delve into what it was really like trying to gain responsibility at a large hedge fund to start running his own P&L, how much his first trade was, the stresses of the job, and some important life lessons he learned along the way. Don't miss this one, I think a lot of you will really appreciate Sam's perspective and why he made such a dramatic change after so many years... Also, if you want to hear more about what Sam's up to, visit Samuel's blog at https://www.samuelandrew.com/ Enjoy!
In this episode, member @EdmundBerke shares his path from a non-target school in the southeast US to breaking into an investment analyst role at a $3bn family office straight out of undergrad through a church program. Learn why he transitioned out of that role, how he helped add value to a legal firm for their ultra-high net worth clients and then was able to successfully pivot to a venture capital role.
In this episode, member MBBtoPE shares his path out of a target university to a top role at a management consulting firm. We also get an inside look into what it was like recruiting for private equity during the crazy 2019 on-cycle recruiting process. From interviewing on a Thursday night from 8pm until 1am to starting again the next day at 7am, listen to game theory applied in a real-life context and learn how he dealt with the split-second decisions that had significant career implications.
In this episode, Brian shares his path from undergrad in the US to working straight for a new venture capital fund in Tokyo. Learn why he turned down his return offer in investment banking after his junior year summer at Jefferies and what the biggest challenges were as a junior employee in a sink-or-swim role.
In this episode, MidwestMonkey2 shares his story coming out of a large non-target state school. Learn how he still managed to land incredible internships at front office investment banking roles in both his sophomore and junior year as well as why he turned down his full-time offer from one of them to jump straight to the buyside. I think this episode really highlights the power of saying no and waiting for the right opportunity.
In part 2 of this 2 part chat with Paul, we cover his days working at McKinsey and how he managed to make the difficult transition into private equity as a consultant. We talk all about the private equity recruiting process, imposter syndrome, meditation and how he was able to find balance. In this part 2, Paul has some really great foundational advice for young motivated go-getters, so make sure you stay until the end.
In part 1 of this 2 part chat with Paul, we cover his days as an undergraduate at a non-target school in the midwest. We find out how he managed to break into an investment banking internship at Morgan Stanley and why he pivoted to consulting after a health scare. We learn how he was able to successfully recruit at both a top investment bank AND a top consulting firms in back to back years. In this part 1, we step back to really evaluate his internships and recruiting out of undergrad to find out what really opened the most doors for him.
In this episode, Jeffrey shares his eclectic path from two non-target schools, shifting to night classes so he could earn money in real estate his junior year and how he ended up at several Boiler Rooms. He also covers his eventual pivot to break into Morgan Stanley and why that didn't end up being a long term stay, how he added value at HSBC and his rough transition out of a family office that was dabbling in venture capital. Learn how he made each transition and advice he would give to his younger self.
In this episode, Julie shares her winding path from studying Biomedical Ethics at Cornell to getting her MBA at Columbia, to joining McKinsey as a health specialist to her stint in investment banking at Lazard as an associate. Listen to hear about her triumphs and struggles as she navigated a move to London to join the venture arm of a large biopharma company to her move back to the states five years later, all while starting a family.
In this episode, Brian shares his winding path from a non-target school into an accounting role right after the financial crisis. First, he explains how he was able to pivot into RBC for a middle office accounting position. From there, we learn how he was aggressive in trying to get to the front office, the challenges he faced once he got there and the subsequent jump to private equity at HIG Capital. Listen to hear why after years of struggling to get to the top of the mountain in finance he left to go start his company called LCS, a high-end maker of cool custom laces with NBA and MLB licenses. Check them out at YourLCS.com.
In this episode, learn how @mstrat spent three years in a large consulting firm before making the jump to a middle-market private equity firm. Learn about the recruiting process for consulting out of undergrad, how he leveraged two internship offers to get into the city and group he wanted, how to position yourself for private equity recruiting coming from a consulting background and what resources he used to land the offer (hint, you might have heard of it before...)
In this episode, an old high school classmate of mine, Peter Christodoulo shares his winding path and how he ended up as a Partner at a private equity megafund, Francisco Partners in SF. We hear about what happened to the tech startup he launched during undergrad at Harvard, his analyst days in investment banking at Credit Suisse, his jump to private equity at TH Lee and finally, his lateral move to the small London office at Francisco Partners during the great financial crisis. Listen to hear his views on where the private equity market is headed, the trend toward hiring from non-traditional channels as well as the differences across the PE market in London compared to San Francisco. Stay to the end to hear his advice on how to help differentiate yourself in a competitive recruiting process.
In this episode, Justin shares his impressive path with us. We cover how he was able to break into Goldman Sachs on the high yield trading desk directly out of a non-target university, what his internships were like, how he was able to build relationships and what has changed now that he has moved to the buyside at Oaktree. Listen to hear how his work ethic, interpersonal skills and attitude made all of the difference.
In this episode, Joshua shares his path from Princeton to investment banking at Credit Suisse. Learn why it wasn't a great fit for him, his surprising transition out, the risks and benefits of not having a clear direction and how he landed at an exciting small business experiencing rapid growth. I really enjoyed this chat because there was a lot of honest reflection about burnout, private equity recruiting, trying to find your way and the importance of exploration and faith in your abilities to find interesting opportunities - many which you'd never know about unless you were actively looking.
In this episode, Douglas Rogers shares his long and winding path after graduating from Cornell in 1996. We learn about his stint as a broker-dealer, his time as an associate portfolio manager for ultra-high net worth individuals, as well as what happened when he founded his own advisory firm only a few years out of school. Listen to hear where there were pitfalls, the lessons he learned and why after several stints at senior positions at boutique IBs ...he has decided to become CEO again with the launch of Semi Cap Equity Partners.
In this episode, Kevin shares with us his path from a top consulting firm in Germany to helping run a startup accelerator in Shanghai. Learn why he made the jump to China, the differences in the venture capital and startup space in China compared to the US, what his plans are for the future and the realities now with Covid-19 in Shanghai. Management Consulting Insights - Youtube Kevin Jon Linkedin
In this episode, @imsurance shares what he did during his senior year when he realized his dream of going to medical school wasn't going to happen. We learn how he graduated from Emory and went straight to a back-office role at a large financial services firm, but kept focused on his ultimate goal of breaking into investment banking. As part of this path, he was able to successfully transition to the middle office of a top bulge bracket investment bank and eventually break into Booth for his MBA. Listen to the end for some wise advice.
In this episode, Steph shares his very unusual path into venture capital. We learn how his lack of a traditional background both helped and hurt him repeatedly throughout his career. Listen to find out why he thinks he was successful and why when you drop out of VC it's so hard to get back in. Learn one piece of critical advice he'd give his younger self and his future plans.
In this episode, Jason Scott, former managing director at Deutsche on the derivatives sales desk talks with me about his 20+ years in finance. With stints at Barclays and Credit Suisse, Jason has an interesting perspective, especially since he also worked in a variety of locations including in London, Singapore and Hong Kong. We learn what it was like on Black Monday back in 1987 as a trader on the floor, the transition from trader to sales as well as how he thought about each successive jump in his career. Listen as he gives one piece of critical career advice near the end.
In this episode, Jeff Sands, a veteran of corporate turnarounds shares his winding path. Learn why a graduate from the south moved to Alaska for 10 years, why he got his MBA, how he transitioned to his family business and what he did when they were wiped out. This is a very interesting episode, especially in light of how Covid 19 is rocking financial markets and economies around the world. Check out his timely book: https://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Turnaround-Artistry-Business-Days/dp/1119539986#customerReviews
In this episode, I'm joined by Carter Malloy, CEO & Founder of Acretrader.com, a site where you can easily invest in farmland. Prior to breaking out on his own, Carter spent five years at a long-short hedge fund and over seven years in equity research at Stephens before that. Learn what he liked most about equity research and investing as well as why he eventually decided to start his own company.
In this episode, @LondonMentor shares his journey from going to a non-target in Italy to breaking into consulting where he worked for over 3 years. Listen how he eventually decided to take on a lot of debt to go to a top MBA program and make a successful transition to investment banking in London at a top bank. Make sure you don't miss how much he had to pay in penalties to his consulting firm for not going back and why it was still an easy choice for him. A really fun chat, hope you enjoy it!
In this episode, John LeFevre, author of Straight to Hell and popular twitter handle @GS Elevator joins the WSO pod to discuss his volatile career path. We learn about what initially drew him to Wall Street, why he left after a decade and what he's up to now with a variety of startups. I think John's path is a great reminder of some of the dangers young finance professionals face. The temptations, the drugs and the potential erosion of character in the chase for money is still something that is very much alive. Check out his latest entrepreneurial endeavors including thewhim.com which is a collection of interesting content around lifestyle, finance and travel and brummelco.com, a fashion startup he launched a few years ago.
In this episode, we hear about Kunal Mehta's path from pure finance at NYU to Sales & Trading at Nomura once he graduated. Find out why he quit without anything else lined up, what he did to pay the bills, why he was lost and how he stumbled into work that had meaning for him. What I like most about this episode is his willingness to share is failed missteps an entrepreneur and how it has shaped him as an investor on the other side of the table. Make sure to check out his latest book, Finding Genius on Amazon or in Bookstores. Link in the show notes.
In this episode, member @Yologoose96 share his path from being unemployed when he first graduated in 2011 to working as a paralegal for $43,000 per year to now making well over $200,000 as an Associate Director at a large private equity fund in a business dev function. Learn how he was able to make an internal pivot from compliance to business development at a large asset manager, what was the key inflection point in his career and how he was ready to take advantage when the opportunity presented itself.
In this episode, Arjun shares his path from a top undergraduate university to a quant role that also gave him exposure to some fundamental investing. We learn about his short stint in venture investing and why he jumped back into a quant role at a bulge bracket investment bank as well as the programs and skills needed to land these competitive roles.
In this episode, @Nick shares his path from the University of Chicago to working at Piper Jaffray in Healthcare M&A out of the New York office. How he was able to transition from a summer analyst role in ECM to M&A with a risky move, why he left after two years to start not one, but two companies and why he followed his sister's advice to go straight into Venture Capital.
In this episode, @Gaurav-Goel shares hit path from the ultra-competitive Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to ECSP Business School in Paris for his Masters in Management. Learn how this degree differs from an MBA, the opportunities it affords during the gap year and how Gaurav leveraged it to land multiple top internships at large investment banks. Hear about his struggles to get his first break trying to stay in Paris speaking French and how once he broke through he was able to perform at the top of his internship class to get multiple full-time offers. Eventually, accepting an offer at Goldman in M&A in Paris, he stayed there for 7 years before jumping to Astorg Partners, a highly successful private equity fund in Europe. Learn why he wasn't able to save much when making hundreds of thousands of Euros each year, why he left to found his own start-up after a few years and what's in store for him next...
In this episode, @MauricioMBA shares his path working at JP Morgan in the strategy and CFO office and his ability to make the jump to the structured products desk. How he transitioned to Barclays, eventually making his way into an impact investing role as well as some important advice for younger listeners just starting out their careers.
In this episode, we talk with Nate Bailey who survived a tough job market by selling life insurance out of his non-target university. Learn what was the hardest part of his path, the difference between being an agent and a broker and specific advice he gives to the younger listeners.
In this episode, @BostonMD shares his path of 11 years of schooling to get his medical degree to breaking into top consulting firm. Learn why he pivoted away from medicine and some of the opportunities afforded to graduate students trying to break into strategy consulting. We also hear what has been the most difficult part of his transition to work and one wise piece of advice he gives to the younger listeners.
In this episode, Joshua Glessing shares the unique path that has landed him the role of VP of Strategy of the Haslam Group which is the parent company for the Cleveland Browns, Columbus Crew, and other sport affiliated businesses. We learn how a late pivot during his college days was a life-altering decision, how he transitioned from a public finance role to an advisory role at Goldman Sachs as well as the one piece of advice he has for younger folks trying to find their way.
In this episode, Adam shares his long and winding road from investment banking at Goldman Sachs, to medical school at UPenn and then to joining the MD/MBA program at Wharton. Learn why he ended up in McKinsey doing strategy consulting after one year of residency and listen to the end for one big warning as you set out to map your career.
In this episode, @BankerTurnedDrinkMaker shares his path from Arizona State to breaking into a bulge bracket investment bank. How he navigated coming from a non-target school, how he prepped for his interviews, how he networked and lessons learned along the way. Don't miss this one, there is some great insight!
In this episode, @WSO1856 shares his path from an FLDP program and how he managed to lateral into an investment banking analyst position. We learn about his thought process during college, why he was too late and how he managed to break in through the side door after a year in the finance development leadership program at a Fortune 500 company.
In this episode, @dcorey shares his path from how he broke into Bear Stearns from a complete non-target school right before the financial crisis to how he survived once it was acquired by JP Morgan. Listen to hear why he followed a managing director to a smaller firm in the renewable energy space as well as one piece of advice he would give to his younger self.
In this episode, @Mentor2020 shares his path to working in investment banking even though he was super late to start recruiting and waiting until his junior year before trying to land a summer internship. How he was able to survive layoffs at his first bank by lateraling to another and why he eventually jumped over to an internal strategy role at a bulge bracket investment bank. Listen to hear the one piece of advice he'd give his younger self...I think we all need a reminder like this every once in a while.
In this episode, member @jKim219 shares his story graduating during the financial crisis in 2008. Hear about what is was like to work at a prop trading shop that requires you to put up your own money, what he did when he burned out and quit and finally how he turned it all around.
In this episode, Rick shares his path from a complete non-target school in the midwest to breaking into a top MSF in Europe. Learn what he did that allowed him to break into a Bulge Bracket bank in London BEFORE his Masters in Finance and why he turned down offers from a private equity megafund. What he did when bridges were burned with some recruiters and how he ended up at a long/short hedge fund.
In this episode, @DSICA shares his path starting out as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch back in 2006 to transitioning twice internally with a critical mentor connection. Learn how he pivoted to VISA, got promoted to Director and eventually helped co-found his own FinTech venture capital fund. He also shares one piece of advice he gives to younger folk graduating today to build meaningful connections.
In this episode, Emily shares her path from a non-target school to landing a summer internship at Goldman Sachs. What she did when she didn't get the return offer in 2008 and a detailed dive into the day to day of analysts in the fund advisory group at Lazard. Learn how that group and working as a placement agent is different from investment banking and why a transition to investor relations in private equity is a natural next step. Also, some important advice on the one thing you should believe in before taking on significant career risk.
In this episode, @PIKtoggle shares his path from semi-target school to working two grueling years as an investment banking bulge bracket analyst. Learn what it's really like behind the scenes and how he was able to successfully pivot to private equity in 2008 even though he was very late to the typically "on-cycle" recruiting process. Listen for his advice on how to deal with recruiters but also how much carry bonus one should expect as you rise through the ranks in private equity.
In this episode, Joe shares his non-traditional path from a non-target school (University of Wisconsin) to breaking into investment banking at Merril Lynch right before it was acquired by Bank of America. Perhaps more impressive than that feat was his ability to land a highly competitive buyside associate role straight into Bain Capital Ventures and then break into Harvard Business School a few years after that. His latest move was to pivot after several years at Samsung's venture arm to found his own venture capital firm. Not surprisingly, that is also going well for him...learn what he thinks set him apart and why he spent an extra year in college.
In this episode, member @LouiseBouge shares her path from an investment banking analyst at a bulge bracket bank to getting her JD/MBA. Learn the common blind spot she had when choosing what bank to join out of undergrad as well as why she chose Goldman to continue her banking career after her graduate degree. Also, learn how she managed to pivot to private equity and a shocking comment made by a partner during final round interviews...
In this episode, member @BadAxe85 shares his path from classical musician, ju-jitsu fighter and scraping before eventually landing at a top hedge fund and recently a well-respected VC. Everyone thought he was crazy. Hear about his winding path and the steps he needed to take before he had his first big break as well as some of the secret sauce that helped him to repeatedly defy the odds.
In this episode, Maxwell Peara, former leverage finance analyst at JP Morgan talks about how he broke into JP Morgan initially as a credit analyst coming out of Fordham. How he managed to transition to the front office in leveraged finance and why he left to pursue his dream of playing tennis professionally.
In this episode, James McKinney, host of the super-popular podcast The Startup Story joins us to talk about his winding path and current success. From a finance and accounting major in undergrad at a non-target to losing it all, James shares some of the highs and lows along his journey as well as this one career tip he'd give his younger self.
Member @LevFinAlum gives us a 10-minute primer on mezzanine financing and shares his career path. Learn about why he got into investment banking in the first place, what's the hardest part about running his own shop as well as his one piece of advice to his younger self.
Member @mentorX shares his path going from one of the largest technology companies in the world and then using an MBA to pivot into the asset management industry at not one, but two top bulge bracket banks. Learn about the compensation structure and how convoluted it can be at these larger firms to why he jumped ship several times in his career as well as his one piece of key advice to young listeners still mapping out their career.
Member @grbarasia shares his unique path that landed him in equity research, M&A and now a family office running private deals and a global macro fund. Listen to find out why he graduated NYU at 19 years old only to go directly for his MBA at Cornell. How he ended up eventually breaking into M&A at Lazard in New York, but only after stints in equity research in Tampa.
In this episode, Paul Millerd explains how he went from a non-target school to a research associate position at McKinsey. Listen how he managed to break in even after getting officially rejected and how he ended up at BCG after getting his MBA at MIT. We learn how he has now left the formal strategy consulting positions behind and started a new life where work isn't the number one priority.
Member @The Pharma Guy shares his path from a hard science biomedical degree all the way to pivoting to a Masters in Management and eventually breaking into a top healthcare strategy consulting firm. Learn how much he makes now and why he chose to work in strategy consulting over investment banking.
Member @FloridaMan shares his meteoric rise in his short career on Wall Street. Learn how he got over $150,000 in compensation as a first-year analyst and over $200,000 as a second year. In this episode, we follow his path a large state school in Florida to a bulge bracket investment bank, all the way to a family-owned private equity fund and finally to his most recent landing spot, a traditional private equity buyout fund. Make sure you stay to the end to learn his best piece of advice is and what "ABR" means.
Member @Odyssy2112 shares how he has survived a monstrous debt load, horrible timing and some unforgiving industries including investment banking at Jefferies and an internal corporate role at Barclays. One wise piece of advice on what you should optimize for and some humorous stories along the way.
Member @shaynepunim2 shares her path as a Big 4 tax consultant to leaving the work-force for an extended period of time to help raise her two kids. How she broke back in and advice she'd give to her younger self.
Member @Mentor1119 shares her path from a non-target university to breaking into a bulge bracket investment bank. We cover why she decided to go into finance, how she leveraged certain programs to give her a leg up in recruiting as well as the group dynamics involved during her summer analyst stint. Why she eventually left to go to the buy-side, why she bombed a case interview and one tip on how to avoid the same fate.
Member @john_quant shares his path coming from an engineering background to landing in the hedge fund industry. Learn how he's managed to pivot successfully three times as several risky senior quant positions at hedge funds didn't work out as hoped. Find out how he came out relatively unscathed and what he recommends to younger listeners trying to position themselves as traders.
Member @coder32 shares his path from a non-target background to a lower middle-market (LMM) private equity shop in the south. Learn how commercial lenders are getting very aggressive with pricing and covenants to win deals and when he knew it was time to make his jump to private equity.
Member @REPE shares his incredible story from bouncing between continents for his education to landing at a bulge bracket investment bank on the equity derivatives sales desk in London. Learn how he survived massive cuts during 2008, even when his bosses were trying to make him look bad, to why he jumped to a smaller bank. Why he decided to go back to the US to get his MBA from Wharton and what his passion is now.
Member @ParkAve shares his journey -- From working in sales, using an MBA to pivot into a Fortune 20 FLDP program and his latest move into M&A strategy at a top consulting firm. Learn how much he got paid at each level, as well as the various skills he developed in each stage of his career and how they influenced his path.
Member @BrownChad shares his long and arduous road in investment banking to make it to a reputable firm from two nightmare boutiques. We explore his journey straight from India to an MBA program, culture shock, the perils of working at very small investment banks with toxic culture as well as what he did when the people closest to him began to doubt his path.
Member @crePE shares his unlikely path. How he broke into Goldman's ECM group even with no IB summer internship to why he turned down the analyst to associate promotion offered to him two years later. Why he moved west to start working in Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Institutional Sales in Chicago and how he eventually was able to successfully make the jump to the buy-side at a real estate private equity shop on the west coast. This episode has a lot of great lessons about optimizing your life and I'll hope you'll listen to the advice from this guest and take them to heart.
Veteran member @Dedline shares his story from struggling with ADHD during high school, surviving college and finding his niche in healthcare enterprise architecture. How WSO gave him context on the level of competition for job interviews, his dramatic jump in pay at his latest role and some wise advice on career paths and specialization.
Member @ConsultingDetroit shares his path from graduating into an engineering role right before the financial crisis in 2007, getting fired from his first job in under a year and taking on debt to pivot and get an MBA in the evening program. Learn some great unique tips for consulting case interviews, how he learned the best practices as a peer coach and what's in store for him next. Also, since this is Episode #50, I just wanted to take a second and thank all the listeners for sticking with me. This podcast has been super fun and interesting for me and I hope it's given you some value as well. I'm excited for the next 50 episodes on our way to 100! Enjoy.
Member @bmeNerd shares his story about striking out the first time during case interviews at McKinsey to landing the offer the second time around. Find out what changed that made the difference, the challenges pivoting from academia to management consulting as well as advice he'd give to his younger self.
Member @Layne Stayley, one of the most giving members in all of WSO's history, shares his inspiring path as an engineering student graduating during the Great Recession in 2008 all the way to a post-MBA associate seat in private equity and now VP at a Merchant Bank in the Northwest. He shares how he first broke into consulting out of undergrad during a very tough recruiting environment, his jump to investment banking and how he was laughed out of the room by a PE partner during an info session when he told him that his eventual goal was private equity. Learn how he managed to prove that partner wrong with some simple legwork. Having lived in a lot of different regions and tasted a lot of different industries in his short career, I hope this guest gives you a nice taste of the nuances of each.
Member @Phillysfinest shares his path from a liberal arts college to working in Nomura's structured products desk. How he got promoted to associate, how much he was paid and why he decided to leave all of that behind to start his own company.
Member @spydahmonkey shares his brave path which led him to move to Chile after graduating undergrad in the US with limited skills in Spanish, a limited network and no full-time experience. We explore how he eventually landed his first break, how he was able to eventually transition to investment banking and what's in store for him next.
Member @mledyard shares her path from working in corporate development at International Paper and moving up the ranks to her transition to investment banking. In part 2 of this 2 part episode, Megan shares her experience as an Associate in investment banking. How she survived without prior banking experience and two key tips for having a successful career.
Member @mledyard shares her path from working in corporate development at International Paper and moving up the ranks to her eventual transition to investment banking. In this first part of a 2 part episode, Megan gives us a detailed look at her thought process of why she started in corp dev at such a large firm and how she continually got promoted. We also explore how she had to hustle to land an investment banking associate offer out of Booth since she was in the night program.
In this episode, Adam shares how he broke into Big 4 Audit after working for a year at a non-profit after graduating his super non-target with a degree in accounting. We learn how he ended up at that non-target, how he made the jump into the Big 4 and then how his impressive performance opened doors internally to make his final transition into more interesting strategy work. Learn why his bosses were consistently impressed so you can try to emulate his path.
Member @CRE Entrepreneur shares his path from undergrad to working as a brokerage analyst. He covers his shift over to the portfolio management side of the business, why he enjoys real estate, how much his pay has gone up since he graduated 4 years ago and what's in store for him next. Also, listen to hear what he is investing in now and who he feels is a good fit for real estate finance careers. Want him to mentor you? Check out his profile here Want to ask some questions? Check out his AMA here
Member @CPAtoIB shares his path from a state-school into audit at the Big 4. Find out what piqued his interest in investment banking and the buyside and how he navigated over to transaction advisory services as an intermediate step to his end goal. Learn about pay ranges at each of these stages and what's in store next for him.
Member @sman540 shares his journey from a small boutique bank to a reputable bulge bracket investment bank. How he struck out the first time with on-cycle private equity recruiting while at the boutique and how he recovered the second time around. Learn about how intense the on-cycle private equity recruiting process is and why it's similar to a hostage situation Want him to mentor you? Check out his profile here. Take a look at his recent AMA here
Richard Hill, founder of Hill Industries and VoteOurVoice shares his story from FX and bond trader at Barclays to VP in capital markets and private placements at Citi. Why he had multiple offers and the cold realities during a downturn. we have a candid conversation about how to prepare for interviews, pay back in the 90s vs today. We find out why he was successful building his own boutique investment bank and what he's up to now. Want to work with this mentor? Check him out here!
In this two-part series, member @LateralMonkey shares her story from a non-target school all the way to the front office at a bulge bracket investment bank. Find out what helped her land a rare sophomore summer internship in capital markets and why she despised it. Why she stayed at the same bank for her junior summer and what saved her time and time again. This is part 2 or 2 Want to book time with this mentor? Check out her profile here.
In this two-part series, member @LateralMonkey shares her story from a non-target school all the way to the front office at a bulge bracket investment bank. Find out what helped her land a rare sophomore summer internship in capital markets and why she despised it. Why she stayed at the same bank for her junior summer and what saved her time and time again. This is part 1 or 2. Want to book time with this mentor? Check out her profile here.
Member @Kindred.Soul shares his journey from a walk-on at his undergrad D1 football program all the way to the NFL. Learn why he left professional football after only 3 years, why it was at the worst possible time, how he broke into investment banking and the struggles he's overcome at his bulge bracket bank to get promoted. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @Mentor2019 shares his story from a semi-target to landing a bulge bracket investment banking offer. Why he stayed for 3 years before making the jump to private equity and why he targeted smaller funds. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @UnbreakableGlass shares how he broke into a competitive finance leadership development program in a large hospital network in the midwest. We cover what his parents did for him, finding your purpose and the benefits of not chasing the same path as everyone else. Want him to mentor you? Check out his profile here.
Member @Wallstreet18 had no clue what investment banking even was when he graduated from his non-target MBA program in 2010. Learn how he was able to pivot into the Big4 Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) group and then lateral to a middle market investment bank. What each transition was like and why he actually craved more hours. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @Bull-Ish shares how he built up a robust internship profile and networked aggressively throughout his undergraduate studies to help him break into an elite boutique investment bank from a complete non-target with a 3.4 GPA. How he was able to secure an offer even after bombing multiple investment banking superdays and what happened when he had to leave unexpectedly from his analyst stint. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @GunnarGregory shares his path from working at Goldman in investment banking across two different groups, from joining a start-up hedge fund to now branching out to run his own business. What he learned along the way, how he views mentors and a certain mindset that helps him grow. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @greenspud graduated from undergrad right during the height of the Great Recession in 2008. Learn how he was able to land an equity research position at an investment bank, what he did when things went south and how he was able to pivot to a new career as a software developer. He explains his stint trading for himself and how he was able to make a quick $10,000 but that the psychology behind trading lead him down a dangerous path. Some very important lessons about culture and timing in this episode. His AMA is linked here.
Member @Knightshade shares his winding road to working at one of the top proprietary trading shops in the world. We cover how he continually took on a lot of risk and bet on himself. What he did when he was unemployed for months at a time - more than once in the first few years out of school - and how he prepared for the tricky brainteasers and mental math that can rattle even the most polished candidates. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @BigTuna5 shares his heart-wrenching but inspirational story. As an immigrant moving out of a mud house with uneducated parents and only a strong work-ethic to his name, hear what kept him going after countless setbacks for him, his two siblings and his parents. From sleeping in a van with his family to befriending a janitor that would let his family sleep in the school gymnasium, nothing came easy. Listen to find out how it all turned out and where he found motivation.
Member @km190 gets into the details of what made him stand out from his peers in order to make it to IB and eventually PE from a complete non-target. This is a part 2 of a 2 part series since we go into a lot of depth. In this segment, we cover his struggle to make the transition from investment banking to private equity as well as his jump from his first PE fund to the one where he currently works. Find out how he eventually broke in and why he left his first PE fund. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @km190 gets into the details of what made him stand out from his peers in order to make it to IB and eventually PE from a complete non-target. This is a 2 part series since we go in depth. In part 1, we cover his serendipitous meeting at an info session and his path to IB from undergrad. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @The Stranger explains why he has always been in a rush. From finishing college in just 20 months, to landing a key internship before his MSF in order to position himself to break into IB, to prepping for buyside interviews -- he was always moving fast until the unexpected happened. Some great advice in the podcast on positioning yourself for your next career jump and life in general. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @Commodity101 shares his overarching career mantra. We cover how he broke into a bulge bracket trading desk in energy and natural gas, why he jumped to a physical trading commodity shop after 2 years, his pivot to a $40bn alternative investment fund and why he then spent 3 years at a non-profit in the certification space. Where he is now and what's in store next! His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @eshoy shares his break from the traditional path not once, but twice already in his young career. We cover how he broke into the Blackstone restructuring group (one of the most prestigious groups on the street) coming out of Wharton, why he left only after 10 months to join a start-up hedge fund and what comes next with his own startup, atom.finance His AMA is linked here.
Member @CaliforniaMax shares his story, how much he's been paid in his career and the best advice to his younger self. What he did when the first job out of his top MBA disappeared within 3 months and practical career advice on when to take risks and when to take the safer path. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @NoelBudapest explains his path to becoming an investment analyst at one of the top Asset Managers in the world. How he landed a summer internship at Google and then a bulge bracket investment bank his junior year, what he did when he was forced to move back home after graduation from London to Budapest when he failed to get a return offer and some critical advice for the younger listeners still in school. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @MarketBeater shares how he broke into Goldman and eventually a buyside hedge fund role in Hong Kong with a 2.8 GPA. How much he's getting paid now and a key piece of advice to our listeners to stay motivated... His AMA is linked here Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @Over-levered Monkey shares his path from being in the Navy to eventually breaking into real estate investment banking. How he was able to land multiple internships throughout undergrad, what hurt him in the interview process and how much he's making now. His AMA is linked here.
Member @VincentGambini shares his very unlikely path from a Big 4 Consulting position to a lucrative private equity fund. How he positioned himself at the Big 4 in order to be more attractive to PE firms, a key piece of advice to his younger self and how he got his big break. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @Medtechmonkey shares how he broke into an exciting high growth M&A corp dev position at a Fortune 500 company coming from an accounting background at a non-target university. How much he's getting paid now and a key piece of advice to our listeners... His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @WSOmentor1022 reveals how even with a low GPA from a non-target school he ended up at an investment bank just a few years after graduating. How he successfully interviewed for a crucial internship when he had the flu, the most important reason he was able to land multiple offers and how much he's getting paid now... His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here
Member @DrSnake shares stories along his path from a masters in quantitative finance in Italy, to landing a Quant research role at an asset manager in the Netherlands. His struggles with the cultural differences, how he transitioned to a bulge bracket bank in Zurich and one key piece of advice he would have given his younger self...
Member @Clion shares his struggle to land a front office investment banking position, even coming from an ivy league school. We cover his struggle with HR to transition to the leveraged finance team at the bulge bracket, why he eventually decided to lateral to a smaller bank, moving to Austin, TX from New York, NY for an exciting private equity job and why he's now able to hit pause and reassess his options.
Member @JDS07 shares her path to joining a top private equity fund as an analyst right out of undergrad. We cover a wide range of topics including: 1) What she learned during her bulge bracket investment banking internship 2) Why she wanted to skip investment banking 3) What she is seeing in the deal landscape, how her firm does diligence and how she is involved and 4) Detailed advice on how to prepare for super competitive private equity interviews with limited deal experience 5) What she plans on doing next... Her AMA is linked here.
Member @Sasha Lubyansky shares his path from getting a phD in Academia to Lead Data Scientist at a top consulting firm. Advice for the tools and skills that can help make you more valuable to your employer and when you should know it's time to switch jobs. His AMA is linked here.
Member @earthwalker7 joins us again to give the listeners a deep dive into fundraising best practices for private equity funds, LP psychology as well as the various roles and career paths available to Investor Relations (IR) professionals.
Member @Rogue_Pogue_Monkey shares his story from making it to the Big 4, the struggles of passing the CPA and how he got promoted. Learn why everything changed, why he decided to join the army and what happened when he collided into the parachute of another officer at 900 feet. His AMA is right here.
Member @WSO Mentor shares his path from a bulge bracket investment bank (Barclays) to a middle market private equity firm. What he wishes he did for private equity recruiting, some unexpected advice on which investment banks to target and whether or not he'll get an MBA. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here.
Member @Escobar Houdini shares how he landed a crucial internship at a PE firm in Germany before managing to turn one of his only interviews into an offer at a top investment bank in London. We cover why it was so easy for him to recover when his entire group was laid off at the bank, his focus on his end goal of private equity, how to navigate recruiters and the process of landing a job at a buyside firm. This is a bit of a longer episode to dive into some of the nuances of his path. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here.
Member @Thatyalething 2019 shares how he broke into consulting advisory at a Big 4 straight out of undergrad from a non-target. We cover a serendipitous meeting at a party, how to NOT get fired when you're trying to transition groups within a firm plus "the virtue of not worrying." A refreshing episode from a young guest. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here.
Member @Mentor 86 shares how he broke in straight to the buyside right out of undergrad during the 2008 recession. We cover what he did to pivot when his hedge fund went under, why his new role was valuable and how he prepared for his jump back into trading in the hedge fund industry many years later. Buckle up, it's an interesting ride! His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here.
Member @Anonymnous shares his incredible journey from Zanzibar (East Africa) to a front office M&A bulge bracket investment banking position in London. We cover how he survived growing up in some rough southeast London neighborhoods to his eventual success in breaking into one of the most competitive industries in the world. Listen to his key advice for how you can do the same and why he moved over to corporate development for a tech startup. His AMA is linked here. Want him to Mentor You? Book time to chat with him here.
Member @earthwalker7 discusses his 15+ year career in investment banking and private equity in Hong Kong. We cover his struggles trying to recruit in China after getting an MBA in the US, his stint in banking and what he wishes he did, as well as one piece of key advice to his younger self.
Member @truelondoner shares his winding path from investment research to the buyside (fund of fund infrastructure) and what he wishes he had known 5 years ago.
A recent graduate from a non-target with a low GPA successfully networks his way into an implementation consulting role. What he wishes he knew as an undergrad and the exit opps for his current role.