The WTF are u doing with your life thread

[boy better know]

While there's no denying that there's very few finance job in Montreal, i have no idea where you get the idea that being a CA is either good preparation or a requirement for banking or that it's something that bankers often have....

well everytime i look for job openings, for example at national bank FG, i see the CA title being recommended for some analyst jobs

How do you plan to convince an English bank (or any bank for that matter) that you have "good mind" if you don't have a stellar GPA (and come from a school that they have at least heard about) when they have literally thousand of local applicants for any open position??? In this environment, you are seriously deluding yourself if you believe it'll be easy to secure a front office position, anywhere.

a 4.0 from harvard seems to be the norm on wall street, while in london you can apparently still have a shot with >3.2 with some experience and internships, that's according to the alumni i spoke to

[Kasper]

well everytime i look for job openings, for example at national bank FG, i see the CA title being recommended for some analyst jobs

Ok, i just checked NBF's website and they don't mention the CA for any of of real finance positions (IB and S&T) so i'm still puzzled. Finance / Accounting / Admin is not finance btw, it's the back office.

a 4.0 from harvard seems to be the norm on wall street, while in london you can apparently still have a shot with >3.2 with some experience and internships, that's according to the alumni i spoke to

Europeans (UK aside) generally graduate latter and often have have to do at least a full year of of internship before graduating, not to mention that most banks will generally have candidates pass a proficiency test (sort of IQ test), so i think there's truth in saying grades are slightly less important that in the US, but only to an extent. You need to start somewhere and until you actually land an internship / gain some experience, your GPA is all you have. I think you are seriously underestimating the strength and sheer number of graduates wanting to work in finance.

That being said, 3.2 GPA ain't gonna cut it and i really don't think it's any easier to find a job in the City vs. Wall St.

[gettoasty]

j/w but how else are you guys looking to apply for these jobs in general?

using job search engines and applying has not yielded much result, even though it has only been 2 weeks. but it seems people like Clopek pick up new jobs so quickly--already applied in advance? are people still going out speaking with reps aside from having a connection?

[Kasper]

j/w but how else are you guys looking to apply for these jobs in general?

using job search engines and applying has not yielded much result, even though it has only been 2 weeks. but it seems people like Clopek pick up new jobs so quickly--already applied in advance? are people still going out speaking with reps aside from having a connection?

it really depend what kind of job you are looking for. In my field, pretty much everything post graduation is done through head hunters and referrals so being in good standing with recruiters is crucial (even though they're generally very slimey folks). The wider your professional network is, the most chance of have of getting an "inside track" for a job. Linkedin can help, both to connect with recruiters and keep in touch and expand your network. Being part of professional network / association can be also yield some excellent results.

School career centers can a good place as well. Search engine can be useful, but you have to do a little extra to set yourself apart from other applicants (cold calling recruiters, HR, someone in the department that are recruiting, etc).

[yooneunhye38]

it really depend what kind of job you are looking for. In my field, pretty much everything post graduation is done through head hunters and referrals so being in good standing with recruiters is crucial (even though they're generally very slimey folks). The wider your professional network is, the most chance of have of getting an "inside track" for a job. Linkedin can help, both to connect with recruiters and keep in touch and expand your network. Being part of professional network / association can be also yield some excellent results.

School career centers can a good place as well. Search engine can be useful, but you have to do a little extra to set yourself apart from other applicants (cold calling recruiters, HR, someone in the department that are recruiting, etc).

what field do you work in if you don't mind me asking?

All the kids at my uni are after banking. I'm trying to do research, preferably buyside, but definitely not being picky in this type of economy.

[Kasper]

what field do you work in if you don't mind me asking?

All the kids at my uni are after banking. I'm trying to do research, preferably buyside, but definitely not being picky in this type of economy.

not at all, i'm in finance

research tough, worked almost 3 years at an IB and never really figured how they were recruiting, associates always seemed to come from with most random background. At many firms and especially on the buy side, there can be a bias toward people with industry experience so it can be hard to get in as a grad. A lot of banks have rotational programs and these tend to be a feed a significant number of research associates so i would have a look if you haven't already.

[yuey]

Beginning my freshman year at university today, studying Computer Science & Engineering. Bracing myself for 4 (or 5) years of pain.

Anyone got any tips on how to have enough time both to make those grades as well as fuck nasty bitches? Or just basic advice on how to survive in uni?

[frankie_four]

discovered three yet unkown substances in human blood which may have a major impact in understanding and prevention of some causalities [diseases]...

...nobody cares at my institute.

[t3hcoke]

discovered three yet unkown substances in human blood which may have a major impact in understanding and prevention of some causalities [diseases]...

...nobody cares at my institute.

keyword10char

[rapdancin]

first record of the development of cure for multiple myeloma broken on ~supertrash~

[lmk1995]

Beginning my freshman year at university today, studying Computer Science & Engineering. Bracing myself for 4 (or 5) years of pain.

Anyone got any tips on how to have enough time both to make those grades as well as fuck nasty bitches? Or just basic advice on how to survive in uni?

really not as hard as you'd think. just think about it this way, athletes have 15-20 hours of practice a week and they still make it work. you just have to be good with your time. learn how to work, get off sufu, and take advantage of all the free time you have. don't fall behind, catching up sucks.

[frankie_four]

keyword10char

diabetes 10char

[zupercruz]

how does one be a full time bboy?

practice after hw/class. if you were one then you'd understand

[iralex]

I'm leaving Friday on a sailboat to the Caribbean for an indefinite period of time

[ohsnap]

considering switching finance major to accounting

did well in financial accounting, but managerial was something else (not too good; got a . "safe" route, yeah yeah yeah, but i'm trying to get some value out of my parents fronting my tuition.

[gettoasty]

it will be easier employment wise if you get into accounting.

[shufon]

A B isn't a bad grade, and managerial accounting sucks anyway. Accounting is even drier than finance (which may be hard to believe) and to me, much less interesting, but accounting is definitely very stable and always in demand. Not a bad way to go. Have you considered any kind of applied math/engineering fields ohsnap?

[boy better know]

a lot of my friends went into accounting and now that they are CPAs working full time they all say that the only thing saving their souls are happy hours

[gettoasty]

if you get into accounting, the experience and skills will open opportunities in non-accounting specific jobs. my aunt does accounting as her main source of income, but i believe the skills encompassed in that field has open up other opportunities in which she can apply them to. quite lucrative as well if you pick and choose the type of accounting work you do. now if you are working at one of the big 4, then it is probably for the prestige and money--the long hours and workload is something you already know ahead before getting into it.

finance is way more "fun" than accounting from my academic experience. however, in hindsight, i think if you know accounting well, you can definitely pick up finance easily. i can't speak for the other way around. still, accounting is something i will probably not be able to break into at this late in time for me unless i find a job that is like financial accounting that may require further study.

shufon brings up a good point though regarding finance. if the finance field is really something you want to break into and you're still young enough to think about that career path, definitely consider math/statistics instead of your typical business degree ...

i have come to the conclusion that school in general is just a building block to get your brain thinking, working with problems etc. the actual classes you take mean nothing unless you really dig further into some research like honors. so if you want the most out of it, i would consider taking the harder sciences/math to get a jump start. more and more i am surprised about hearing science/math degrees in business fields, but this maybe just "late pass" and my own naivety

specific courses toward your career is just exposure at the least, what you get out of it at the most is what you make of it.

[shufon]

Yeah, from my experiences, most investment banks/hedge funds/asset management firms prefer somebody with a quantitative background rather than a business background because it's much easier to teach somebody the business side of things than high level quantitative skills. On top of that, quantitative degrees open an extremely broad range of fields career wise. You can still pursue finance but at the same time if it's not working out, there are plenty of other options available. Just my .02.

[pepper davies]

I'm currently going to The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University to study classical double bass performance. Hope to be in a symphony some day, but those jobs are few and far between. Around 5 jobs a year open up (ones that can actually pay the bills and put food on the table, that is). I guess all I can do is put everything into it and try as hard as I can until I know more. Time to practice.

[i wear shooes]

I write about food I get to eat for free as a job.

I go to college and am getting a 3.5

I watch more sports on tv than I study for tests/quizzes.

I drink a lot and have great friends and a cool girlfriend.

life is pretty good.

[lmk1995]

I'm currently going to The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University to study classical double bass performance. Hope to be in a symphony some day, but those jobs are few and far between. Around 5 jobs a year open up (ones that can actually pay the bills and put food on the table, that is). I guess all I can do is put everything into it and try as hard as I can until I know more. Time to practice.

yo!, I'm a sophmore at hopkins (not peabody). I have a buddy who's a sophmore at peabody.

[koala]

I write about food I get to eat for free as a job.

I go to college and am getting a 3.5

I watch more sports on tv than I study for tests/quizzes.

I drink a lot and have great friends and a cool girlfriend.

life is pretty good.

how the fuck did you land a gig like that- the food

[e0d9n0b5]

first day of school woooo

[conqueror]

accounting seems like the most boring, mind-numbing shit ever. pays well, but fuck - i couldn't do it till i'm 65ish.

[ohsnap]

^ i want to get a primary job that'll pay well (idgaf if it is mind-numbingly boring, as long as it pays bills -- i'm going to eat these words soon, trust.)

and on the side, i'll do something creative/art-related. i sound optimistic, don't i? more like blinding idealism.

[bfan]

I'm going to work in an algae biofuel lab this quarter, getting units for independent undergrad research! there's actually stuff to do now that the greenhouse set up is almost complete, stoked to be doing more science and shit, taking more upper div chem classes, etc. etc.

[jayrock]

back story

If you missed out on my story about being laid off, it's probably worth the read. Or not, I dunno that's up to you. Sadly, it is not out of the norm these days, as many people have recently gone or are going through the same dilemma. That aside, I figured it would be worth updating this thread given the support and kind words I had received.

I spent the entire summer jobless. It was pretty awesome at first, having the whole day to do whatever you liked. Not going to lie, I wasted most of my time riding my bike, playing ps3, or just generally being a lazy ass. I watched the entire Mad Men series in the span of a couple days, I wasn't really counting. I was able to go on a trip to Chicago, which was awesome, but not having a job really limits the amount of fun you can have. You have all this free time, but not much disposable income to really enjoy it. Therein lies the rub.

If you've read my previous post, you'll know that I was briefly considering going back to school, possibly for a post-baccalaureate certificate in accounting or possibly some masters program. I didn't have strong enough interest to go through with any masters degree, and after speaking with an adviser and finding out that the certification route would take a minimum of four semesters, I decided I was better off just looking for a job. My adviser actually joked, saying that many masters programs only take one year; she finished her's in one calendar year, she said, and look at her now -- she's advising college student on what classes to take. I admitted to her that I had kind of panicked after being laid off, and was just doing my due diligence just in case I actually did want to go back to school.

My resume was getting me interviews, which I guess is all you can really ask for. Once in the interview, it's really in your hands to sell yourself as an individual, but most importantly for me was finding a position that would be a good fit for both myself and the company. My first couple interviews I left the initial meeting knowing that this wouldn't work out, and was not too let down when I didn't get the good news. I actually left one interview hoping that they wouldn't offer me the job, because I knew I'd be completely miserable there. Eventually I was able to interview for a position that fit well with my background and current industry. Everything was going smoothly, and I made it to the second round of interviews.

About a week later, I received a call from the initial interviewer letting me know that they decided to move forward with another candidate. I was obviously bummed, but not too surprised because I was informed in the second interview that I was up against an internal candidate for this position, and they like to take care of their internal people. She went on to say that they were very impressed with my interview, and that she would like my permission to forward my information to the hiring manager for another position that had recently came open (the internal candidate's old job), for which I was very grateful and excited. The interviews for the second position went quite well and I started my new job last week. So far I am very excited, because the company culture is a great fit and all of my co-workers seem like great people. The work itself is a nice change of pace too, as it is much more structured than video production, which can leave for an awful lot of ambiguity and writing -- neither of which I am very fond of. My new role has me working more in advertising than production, as I basically process media and contracts. However, I'm still training and there is still quite a bit to learn.

Throughout the entire 4-5 month period of being laid off, I went through some crazy emotions. There are times where you're not sure if you'll ever work again, and there are times where having absolutely no responsibilities for the foreseeable future is the greatest thing ever. From the loneliness of walking around during the day while everyone is working, to planning your weeks like days, there are definitely ups and downs that you go through. That said, I soon came to realize that my situation wasn't all that bad as I had no serious life commitments. No mortgage to default on, no kids to feed, and really no outstanding expenses to speak of. A very manageable situation to be honest. However, I am very happy to be employed again if only for the fact that it gives me something to do all day.

Everything else is going well. I recently moved into a two bedroom apartment after having lived alone for the last four years. The apartment is the nicest I've lived in so far, and the cheapest rent too. New neighborhood, new roommate, new job, new pool, new gym, new business casual wardrobe... all in all everything is coming together nicely. The way I'm starting to see it, life is pretty much all about transitions. Transitioning to a new job, a new school, a new city, residence, girlfriend, people dieing, people being born. It's just a matter of realizing this and knowing that change is pretty much one of the only things you can count on in life.

I can only hope that maybe I've learned some valuable lessons throughout this experience. For the time being I'm going to pursue some hobbies and interests outside of work, and concentrate of being as professional as I can while at work. Everything in moderation, etc. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading, and thank you again to everyone for the support during my first post. Best wishes

Cliffs: summer of jayrock, got job, new job seems cool, hell yeah, fuck yeah, gg life, gl all

[TTM]

applying to be a field engineer so i can work on an oil rig to rape the earth and make 6 figures out of college