I had never seriously considered a career path leading me to Wall Street until I started college. I knew I wanted to be in business, and my preferred major was Marketing, (the least mathematical business major), but I thought I should give every major a fair chance before deciding for certain. And with all the hype that careers in finance are getting thanks to publicity like the Shia Labeouf film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, I decided I would attend a Wall Street Panel that was held by my university's Equity Society on the first of February. The basic concept was to have a panel of 6 students who had secured jobs or internships on Wall Street to share their experiences with other interested students. I decided to go with one of my close friends to hear the students out- I mean, it couldn't hurt right?
Well, it may not have hurt, but I definitely know I am not going to be walking down the path to Wall Street!
First of all, the panelists all seemed to have gotten their jobs not necessarily through hard work and effort, but because they had a connection. They either knew someone or had a friend who knew someone set them up. Don't get me wrong, I understand how important networking is, but it almost seemed ridiculous the strings that were pulled for these students. Secondly, the panelists each told many more negative stories about their experiences than positive ones. I remember one student saying that he spent 'an entire miserable summer at an internship he only kept for experience'. If I'm going to work hard in college only to obtain a career with hours that would drive anyone to insanity and not even enjoy it...I don't want it.
That being said, although the panel didn't inspire me to become a stock market connoisseur, they did give some helpful tips that any business student would benefit from:
1) Network. Like I said, networking is a powerful tool. Talk to university alumni, older friends, and attend as many networking sessions as possible.
2) Be aggressive. One student shared a horror story of an interview which ended with some pretty harsh direct feedback. Basically, he was called out for not being assertive or aggressive enough for the company. You need to prove to the employers that you want the position.
3) Know your stuff. Often times you will be asked tough questions regarding the position and your field of study, make sure you're well versed in current business news and with the current events of the firm you are interested in.
4) Have a story. Everyone wants to see that you're human- not by making mistakes- but by being able connect on some deeper level than just spitting back generic answers like a trained robot when an interviewer asks you the typical questions. Think about it, interviewers could be interviewing dozens of prospects but YOU want to be remembered.
So even though the answer to my original question is most definitely not to Wall Street, the panel did end up being useful and productive. And at least now I know what I don't want as a career, right?
