Best career in finance + educational roadmap advice
Dear All,
I am writing as a fresh high school grad, who is looking for your advice on further steps into my career and education.
Base facts about me:
- 19 yo this year
- Based in the capital of the largest CEE country - Poland
- Primary interest includes Global Macro and foreign policy. Recently I have started exploring some Private Equity and Private Credit topics
- 12 months of experience as an intern in commercial banking (45h/week), no-nepo job ( BB, US bank ) – possible because I had e-learning in my high school
Strengths:
- Self-discipline in being up to date - reading FT/Bloomberg consistently, every single day since I was 16 yo
- Great analytical skills, as well as learning abilities
- paying attention to every detail
- Will to complete projects by going to any lengths
- intermediate-proficient Excel skills
- Best performance while working in an organized, high-performing environment
Weaknesses/Skills I’d like to improve:
- Social Abilities
- Poor market for S&T/PE/PC in my country (Would be no problem going abroad after completing BSc)
- No programming skills
I would highly appreciate your advice on which path in finance to choose (Why/Why not) and what are the best sources of knowledge in the recommended path.
I am open to all your comments.
PS: Which major would best be suited for S&T, PE, or Consulting? Your ideas on majors are welcomed as well.
- Global Business, Finance and Governance (Warsaw School of Economics)
- Quantitative Methods in Economics and Information Systems (Warsaw School of Economics)
- Interdisciplinary Studies in Economics and Mathematics (University of Warsaw)
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's a tailored roadmap and advice for your career in finance, considering your interests and background:
1. Choosing the Right Path in Finance: - Sales & Trading (S&T): Given your interest in Global Macro and foreign policy, S&T could be a great fit as it involves understanding and reacting to global economic events. Your consistent reading of FT/Bloomberg will be beneficial here. - Private Equity (PE): Your interest in PE and Private Credit suggests a potential alignment with this path. PE would leverage your analytical skills and attention to detail, but consider that it often requires prior experience in investment banking or consulting. - Consulting: This could be a strategic choice to improve your social skills, as consulting requires significant client interaction. It also offers exposure to various industries and business problems, which could later pivot into a specialized finance role.
2. Educational Roadmap: - Undergraduate Degree: Based on your interests and the majors you're considering: - Global Business, Finance and Governance at Warsaw School of Economics could provide a solid foundation in finance and its global implications, aligning well with your interests in global macro. - Quantitative Methods in Economics and Information Systems could be beneficial if you decide to develop technical skills, which are increasingly valuable in finance. - Interdisciplinary Studies in Economics and Mathematics at the University of Warsaw would be excellent for S&T or any quantitatively driven roles in finance. - Internships: Continue to seek internships in different areas of finance. Given your experience in commercial banking, try to gain experience in investment banking or asset management, which are feeder roles for PE.
3. Skills Development: - Social Skills: Consider joining debate clubs, public speaking courses, or other extracurricular activities that require teamwork and communication. - Programming Skills: Basic programming knowledge, especially in Python or R, is increasingly important in finance. Online platforms like Coursera or edX offer courses in programming for finance.
4. Going Abroad: - If the market for S&T/PE/PC in Poland is limited, studying or working abroad could be a strategic move. Target schools or positions in financial hubs like London, New York, or Frankfurt.
5. Additional Resources: - WSO Networking Guide: Utilize this to build and leverage a network in finance, which can be crucial for moving into competitive fields like PE. - WSO Interview Prep: Essential for breaking into highly competitive areas like S&T and PE.
6. Long-Term Considerations: - Keep an eye on the evolving landscape of finance, especially the impact of technology and global political-economic changes, which aligns with your interest in global macro.
Your proactive approach and the strategic use of resources like those provided by WSO will be key to navigating your path in the finance world.
Sources: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/private-equity/did-you-learn-more-in-pe-or-consulting?customgpt=1, To all Consultants considering PE, Q&A: S&T>>MBB, Q&A: Former MBB Consultant, My son interested in S&T over IB (your advise Please)
How did you become an intern while being at high school? I know how things work in Poland and this is the craziest thing I've heard of. Internships are for university students, not for high school students, especially at Citi etc.
Besides this, SGH is better than UW but both not stellar. Go for SGH if you can't study aborad, Quantitative Methods in Economics and Information Systems is the best for IB/ER etc imho
if you wanna do something else like consulting, then Global Business, Finance and Governance would also work. MBB predominanly recruit from SGH so choosing UW doesn't make much sense, no matter how prestigious MSEM is perceived. Bear in mind though that PE doesn't recruit straight out of the degree unless you are a nepo hire, even internships at larger PE companies are nepo-related to a large extent. This is a small world after all, Warsaw market is small if we talk about reputable PE firms.
if you are set on trading, then MSEM is the way to go. Just consider that those paths are different so you need to choose your programme according to what is the most interesting to you.
re the skillset/career path, you need to consider where you see yourself, recommend doing Forage to learn more about different roles. In Poland consulting is the most popular because there is a relatively strong presence of MBB and B4, even though B4 pays peanuts. Consulting is more about interacting with people and creativity, PE the same but also requires strong financial knowledge, while trading is a different path. I have some friends in Poland who went into consulting/PE path - well read, easy to talk to, relatively sociable with decent quant skills; traders on the other hand are often very nerdy, introverted with amazing quant skills.
My friend, get out of Poland immediately and get into a university like LSE or Wharton if you can pull it off.
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