r/financestudents

From the outside, a lot of people in IB seem exhausted all the time, constantly stressed, and always talking about eventually leaving. But then you see the same people stay way longer than they originally planned to, even after saying they were done with the lifestyle. For people who’ve worked in investment banking, what do you think actually keeps people there? Is it just the money and exit opportunities, or does the job slowly become hard to leave because you get used to the pace, the people, and the feeling of constantly chasing the next thing? I’ve noticed a lot of people enter IB thinking they’ll only do it for 2 years and somehow end up staying for 5 or 10.
At some point it feels like the job becomes more than just a job and I’m curious how people in the industry see that.

Most people think that major IB decisions happen in a meeting room with senior bankers making the final call. But a lot of the real work starts much earlier with junior IB . They are the one's building models, checking the numbers, and pulling together all the details that help everyone understand what a deal actually looks like. If their work is off, the discussion that follows is already on weak ground. They also spend a lot of time putting together the slides and reports that get used in client meetings. These are the same slides where billion-dollar decisions are being discussed, so even small mistakes or unclear explanations can change how something is viewed. They might not be in the spotlight, but their work is constantly feeding into the decisions being made. A lot of the time, they are working late just to make sure everything is accurate and ready for review. It’s not always visible, but it matters more than people think.

So it makes you think, in IB, where do you really draw the line between “support work” and actually shaping the decision itself?

AI used for formatting
Looking for some honest advice

I'm a software/ML engineer with about 2.5 years of experience at a major international bank

I've always been curious about the core banking world — credit, risk, treasury, maybe even eventually the investing side.

1)Does it make sense to pursue CFA while continuing in tech and then MBA(after L1 so that I can get finance internship), with the goal of eventually transitioning into a more core finance role?

2)I Do masters in Stats ,Math instead of MBA

What is the AI Impact on core finance

I know it’s not an ivy. But as an incoming student how good really is it? Is it possible or likely to go into high finance or even big law with a degree from mccombs?

I’ve curated a set of Private Equity-focused Financial Modeling Practice Cases at varying difficulty levels — covering 3-statement models, DCF, and LBO.

Each case includes original tests, answer keys, and formula hints, so you can practice building the models and instantly check your work.

Drop a comment if you’re interested — I’ll share the link in the comments!

When I first started looking into investment banking, it honestly seemed like the perfect career. Good money, smart people, strong career growth, and a lot of opportunities later on. Online it feels like everyone talks about it like it’s the ultimate goal if you’re ambitious. But the more people I talk to who actually work in IB, the more confused I get about whether the lifestyle is really worth it. A lot of them sound constantly stressed and tired. One person told me the worst part is not even the work itself, it’s feeling like you can never fully relax because your phone could go off at any time. Another said you start planning your life around work instead of the other way around. At the same time though, most of them also say they grew a lot from the experience and became way more confident, disciplined, and mentally tougher. I think that’s why IB is so hard to judge from the outside. Some people seem to love it and others seem completely miserable, sometimes at the same firm. For people who’ve actually been in banking, what’s something students usually don’t understand until they experience it themselves?

A lot of people think succeeding in IB is just about being extremely smart or knowing every technical skill perfectly. But from where I have seen, the people who do well long term in IB are usually the one's who are reliable, calm under pressure, easy to work with and consistent even during stressful periods. Technical skills also matter, but attitude, communication, and work ethic seem equally important.

I also feel people underestimate how important it is to be coachable and willing to learn quickly. Every banker I have spoken to says teams do value someone dependable more than someone trying to sound impressive all the time.

What do you think matters most for succeeding in IB?

A lot of students think investment banking is nonstop glamour, huge money, and exciting deals, but many bankers say the reality is more about long hours, pressure, and repetitive work behind the scenes.

Hello I’m 18 years old Final year of school and debating whether to go down the finance route or Medicine. I’m in the UK so Target universities here are different but I have an offer from a London university that I would say is In between target and semi target. It’s top 9 in the World but I’m not sure whether I should go or not? reading online I can see that a career in finance is very competitive and hard to get into if you don’t have connections.

The only way is to go into a target and get internships etc and is it worth it for the slight chance that you could end up in high finance what if you end up stuck in middle office or back office because you fail the interviews or you are just unlikeable etc? what would be the best option?

One investment banking myth I really believed at first was that only students from top colleges can get into IB. When I started learning about investment banking, I used to feel very underconfident because my background was not fancy and I did not know anyone in finance. Online, people make it seem like if you are not from a big college, you have no chance. I would constantly compare myself to people with better resumes, better colleges, and more connections, and it honestly made the industry feel impossible to break into.

But after spending more time learning and speaking to people already working in finance, I slowly realized that skills matter much more than I thought. I started focusing on learning financial modelling, valuation basics, accounting concepts, and improving my communication instead of comparing myself to others every day. Little by little, I became more confident and started understanding how the industry actually works.

I have also seen many students from regular colleges get internships and placements because they stayed consistent and serious about learning. Most people quit too early because they believe they are already behind. Investment banking is definitely competitive and demanding, but it is not limited to only one type of student like social media sometimes makes it look.

What is one investment banking myth you used to believe before learning more about the industry?

What are some important skills to focus on in wealth management.

I have around 3 months before I start my bachelors in business with finance and if there any skills that you feel are important or that can give me an edge Im willing to utilize a portion of the 3 months to improving these skills. Any certain certifications or education courses to complete?

Thanks for any advice?

I was told that most of his internships result in a net negative for the company. The call itself went good but, he asked me if to create a one pager on the sector he targets which are energy and utilities and then create 3 sub categories that I was interested in.

Any idea how to structure this so I don’t look like a complete idiot?

If you’re targeting Finance, Consulting, GenMan or even top Front-End roles, you need to know:

• How companies are valued
• How businesses actually make money
• What investors & analysts look at behind the scenes
• How to read annual reports and decode numbers
• How decisions are made in boardrooms, not classrooms

That’s exactly what we cover in our Finance Bootcamp.

This is not another theoretical course or recorded-content dump.
It’s a practical, fast-paced bootcamp focused on:

• Valuations
• Financial analysis
• Company research
• Business understanding
• Real backend skills that help during SIPs & placements

Perfect for:

• Incoming MBA students
• Tier-1/Tier-2 B-school students preparing for SIPs
• Students switching domains into finance
• Anyone wanting an edge before placements begin

A lot of students enter MBA thinking they’ll “figure it out later.”
The ones who prepare early usually end up with the best opportunities.

Limited slots because we keep the batch interactive.
Let us know if you want details or want to join the next cohort.

Spent months reading Hull, Joshi, Shreve. All great. None of them prepared me for the actual interview.

Found this book called "Quantitative finance interview prep guide by Mikhail Zaitsev" maybe 6 weeks before my IMC rounds. It has brain teasers documented from specific firms — Jane Street, Citadel, Optiver, DE Shaw — with full solutions. Case studies from LTCM, the 2007 Quant Quake. A cheat sheet I had memorised cold before every round.

The gambler's ruin section alone got me through a question I would have completely blanked on.

Started reading it for quant prep. Ended up with the clearest understanding of options, risk, portfolio theory and probability I've ever had.

A lot of people hear finance terms like “front office,” “middle office,” and “back office” but don’t really understand what they actually mean in day-to-day work.

Front office is usually the client-facing and revenue-generating side of finance. This includes roles like investment banking, sales & trading, wealth management, and private equity. These are the jobs most people think of when they imagine “high finance” — long hours, high pressure, strong pay, and a lot of competition. Middle office is more about supporting decisions, managing risk, and making sure things run properly behind the scenes. Roles here can include risk management, treasury, compliance, strategy, and financial control. These jobs may not get as much attention online, but they’re extremely important because they help firms avoid massive financial and operational mistakes.

Back office handles operational and administrative functions that keep the entire system running smoothly. This includes settlements, operations, reporting, processing transactions, and internal support functions. These roles are usually less client-facing and often have better work-life balance compared to front office. What’s interesting is that many students only chase front office because of the pay and prestige, even though middle office and back office can sometimes offer more stability, less burnout, and solid long-term careers depending on what someone values.

If you work in finance or are trying to enter it, which side do you think is the most underrated?

i can’t figure out what niche i want to specialize in when i graduate, people ask me what i want to do with my degree and i honestly have no idea EXACTLY what i want, my emphasis is in financial analysis but how the hell do you decide if you want to go into corporate banking, wealth management, consulting, fp&a, private equity, venture capital, there’s SO much more than that, how did you decide what you want to do?

Hey guys! I recently concluded my Investment Analyst internship at a small company in New York, where I worked for exactly one year. I also have a master’s degree in Data Science. I’ve recently been applying to roles in and around the New York region, but I’ve been getting a lot of rejections. I’ve tried networking, and it worked up to a point, but it hasn’t really taken off from there.

I’m open to relocating anywhere in the world, especially since the job market feels pretty rough right now. Does anyone have suggestions on which countries or financial hubs I should focus on for networking or reaching out to people to help kick start my career in Investment Analytics?

Any leads would be greatly appreciated! Thanks :)