Art history major and wall street

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody gives a F___ where you attend college or your major.

In 2014, my DS was a music major at San Jose State University (SJSU). While studying, he worked part-time at Pebble Beach Golf Club, where he crossed paths with several incredibly wealthy individuals. One of them hired my son and his band to perform at his wife’s 50th birthday party. This person turned out to be one of the co-founders of a venture capital firm, and he not only offered my DS an internship but also a full-time job at the firm upon graduation. Fast forward ten years, and my DS is now a big shot at that same firm, earning about $8M/yr. It really is true that success often comes down to who you know—or who knows you, not what you know.

That's an amazing story (not being sarcastic!) but that won't happen for most people. Your ds is likely very charming or has something special going on. For the vast majority of non-charismatic/ultra lucky people, it does matter a bit what they do.

PP here. That's because charisma/charm/talent requires a lot of hard work, often marked by setbacks, and a refusal to accept failure as the final outcome. Ever heard the saying "Luck ain't even lucky, gotta make your own breaks"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nobody gives a F___ where you attend college or your major.

In 2014, my DS was a music major at San Jose State University (SJSU). While studying, he worked part-time at Pebble Beach Golf Club, where he crossed paths with several incredibly wealthy individuals. One of them hired my son and his band to perform at his wife’s 50th birthday party. This person turned out to be one of the co-founders of a venture capital firm, and he not only offered my DS an internship but also a full-time job at the firm upon graduation. Fast forward ten years, and my DS is now a big shot at that same firm, earning about $8M/yr. It really is true that success often comes down to who you know—or who knows you, not what you know.

You hit upon a key thing…network like hell for the internship because if you perform well then nobody cares about your major.

It’s much easier to snag an 8-10 week internship at smaller VC or PE firms where a partner can hire you ad hoc…if it doesn’t work out…no big deal…but if you impress him and the other partners it can lead to a FT offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nobody gives a F___ where you attend college or your major.

In 2014, my DS was a music major at San Jose State University (SJSU). While studying, he worked part-time at Pebble Beach Golf Club, where he crossed paths with several incredibly wealthy individuals. One of them hired my son and his band to perform at his wife’s 50th birthday party. This person turned out to be one of the co-founders of a venture capital firm, and he not only offered my DS an internship but also a full-time job at the firm upon graduation. Fast forward ten years, and my DS is now a big shot at that same firm, earning about $8M/yr. It really is true that success often comes down to who you know—or who knows you, not what you know.

Your son was at the right place at the right time. That's not how it works for the 20000 other graduates hoping to enter MBB/IB/VC/PE/HF where there are fewer than 1000 spots. It's competitive and some aren't even getting an invite to their first coffee chat. Perhaps we can tell them to go work at a golf club like Pebble Beach but there aren't that many around. To say that it doesn't matter is just not true. And, while your son went to SJSU and is doing well for himself today, I'm also 100% sure that there are others at his firm who routinely look down at him because of his alma mater but they just don't say anything to his face.

[Anonymous]

I’ve noticed that the investment banks often have very beautiful, well-bred young ladies running stuff like HR or the off-site ski trips for the guys and their clients to Vail. I bet some of those ladies were art history majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody gives a F___ where you attend college or your major.

In 2014, my DS was a music major at San Jose State University (SJSU). While studying, he worked part-time at Pebble Beach Golf Club, where he crossed paths with several incredibly wealthy individuals. One of them hired my son and his band to perform at his wife’s 50th birthday party. This person turned out to be one of the co-founders of a venture capital firm, and he not only offered my DS an internship but also a full-time job at the firm upon graduation. Fast forward ten years, and my DS is now a big shot at that same firm, earning about $8M/yr. It really is true that success often comes down to who you know—or who knows you, not what you know.

Your son was at the right place at the right time. That's not how it works for the 20000 other graduates hoping to enter MBB/IB/VC/PE/HF where there are fewer than 1000 spots. It's competitive and some aren't even getting an invite to their first coffee chat. Perhaps we can tell them to go work at a golf club like Pebble Beach but there aren't that many around. To say that it doesn't matter is just not true. And, while your son went to SJSU and is doing well for himself today, I'm also 100% sure that there are others at his firm who routinely look down at him because of his alma mater but they just don't say anything to his face.

+1 And I went to SJSU as a CS major back in the 90s. I've done well for myself, eventually, working for a fAANG. But the vast majority did not end up at FAANGs.

SJSU students used to do well because of the location, and that is the same reason the ^^PPs son did well. It was about location. Look at where the art history majors at SJSU end up? It's not as a VC. Your kid was an anomaly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nobody gives a F___ where you attend college or your major.

In 2014, my DS was a music major at San Jose State University (SJSU). While studying, he worked part-time at Pebble Beach Golf Club, where he crossed paths with several incredibly wealthy individuals. One of them hired my son and his band to perform at his wife’s 50th birthday party. This person turned out to be one of the co-founders of a venture capital firm, and he not only offered my DS an internship but also a full-time job at the firm upon graduation. Fast forward ten years, and my DS is now a big shot at that same firm, earning about $8M/yr. It really is true that success often comes down to who you know—or who knows you, not what you know.

The Olympic Club is far nicer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody gives a F___ where you attend college or your major.

In 2014, my DS was a music major at San Jose State University (SJSU). While studying, he worked part-time at Pebble Beach Golf Club, where he crossed paths with several incredibly wealthy individuals. One of them hired my son and his band to perform at his wife’s 50th birthday party. This person turned out to be one of the co-founders of a venture capital firm, and he not only offered my DS an internship but also a full-time job at the firm upon graduation. Fast forward ten years, and my DS is now a big shot at that same firm, earning about $8M/yr. It really is true that success often comes down to who you know—or who knows you, not what you know.

Your son was at the right place at the right time. That's not how it works for the 20000 other graduates hoping to enter MBB/IB/VC/PE/HF where there are fewer than 1000 spots. It's competitive and some aren't even getting an invite to their first coffee chat. Perhaps we can tell them to go work at a golf club like Pebble Beach but there aren't that many around. To say that it doesn't matter is just not true. And, while your son went to SJSU and is doing well for himself today, I'm also 100% sure that there are others at his firm who routinely look down at him because of his alma mater but they just don't say anything to his face.

It’s not the same as Pebble Beach, but DC has Congressional, Kenwood, CC, Columbia et al where you have Carlyle partners playing as an example.

DC actually has 5 or 6 PE funds, with Carlyle the 800 pound gorilla…but you can still do just fine working at a $2BN PE fund as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can absolutely do this at schools like Bucknell and Colgate that have strong Wall Street connections through their Greek systems and career services. It's less about your major and much more about being plugged into the right network.

Bucknell hardly has any IB recruitment. Be for real. It’s a b tier school that no one cares about

This is complete nonsense. Wall Street can feel like a Bucknell alumni club at times.

I think the Bucknell booster is my favorite DCUM troll.

get a life dude

[Anonymous]

Nope without strong connections - former IB here. However, if you are a tall, slim/athletic woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, you will have a great shot at private banking, which is lucrative and has better hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody gives a F___ where you attend college or your major.

In 2014, my DS was a music major at San Jose State University (SJSU). While studying, he worked part-time at Pebble Beach Golf Club, where he crossed paths with several incredibly wealthy individuals. One of them hired my son and his band to perform at his wife’s 50th birthday party. This person turned out to be one of the co-founders of a venture capital firm, and he not only offered my DS an internship but also a full-time job at the firm upon graduation. Fast forward ten years, and my DS is now a big shot at that same firm, earning about $8M/yr. It really is true that success often comes down to who you know—or who knows you, not what you know.

Your son was at the right place at the right time. That's not how it works for the 20000 other graduates hoping to enter MBB/IB/VC/PE/HF where there are fewer than 1000 spots. It's competitive and some aren't even getting an invite to their first coffee chat. Perhaps we can tell them to go work at a golf club like Pebble Beach but there aren't that many around. To say that it doesn't matter is just not true. And, while your son went to SJSU and is doing well for himself today, I'm also 100% sure that there are others at his firm who routinely look down at him because of his alma mater but they just don't say anything to his face.

+1 And I went to SJSU as a CS major back in the 90s. I've done well for myself, eventually, working for a fAANG. But the vast majority did not end up at FAANGs.

SJSU students used to do well because of the location, and that is the same reason the ^^PPs son did well. It was about location. Look at where the art history majors at SJSU end up? It's not as a VC. Your kid was an anomaly.

There is no school where the vast majority end up at FAANGs. SJSU is better represented in FAANGs than most schools because of location and exposure. SJSU kid actually has many advantages over kids at much higher ranked schools because of proximity to where it is all happening. Same goes for UCB, Santa Clara, and Stanford grads.

[Anonymous]

The most effective way to secure employment is to position yourself as close to decision-makers as possible. You can do this by:

Attending industry conferences and networking with people who have influence. It only takes one person to give you an opportunity, and do not be afraid of rejections,

Developing interesting hobbies that naturally bring you into contact with successful professionals. Being skilled in social sports like golf or pickleball can increase these chances.

Building strong interpersonal skills so you’re approachable, easy to talk to, and enjoyable to work with.

Prioritizing emotional intelligence (EQ) over pure intellectual ability. EQ takes time to develop, but it has a lasting impact on your professional success.

If you focus on steps 1 through 4, you significantly increase your likelihood of landing an internship or a full-time position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was an art history major from a state college (not the flagship one), and I got into management consulting!

how long ago did you graduate?

5 years ago

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope without strong connections - former IB here. However, if you are a tall, slim/athletic woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, you will have a great shot at private banking, which is lucrative and has better hours.

So do they just learn on the job? How do we know that Art History translates to being very good at the nuances of banking and VC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope without strong connections - former IB here. However, if you are a tall, slim/athletic woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, you will have a great shot at private banking, which is lucrative and has better hours.

Either that or a polished non-blonde International student who speaks certain languages, given the amount of Private Banking/ultra high net worth clients nowadays in NYC that accumulated their money overseas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope without strong connections - former IB here. However, if you are a tall, slim/athletic woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, you will have a great shot at private banking, which is lucrative and has better hours.

So do they just learn on the job? How do we know that Art History translates to being very good at the nuances of banking and VC?

Private Banking is not the same thing as Investment Banking--you don't work on large deals or any of that. You are a money manager (or a relationship manager in some cases) for people and families' individual money.