I'm wanting to break into Consultancy/IB Analyst/Journalism/something related to finance job...

I'm wanting to break into Consultancy/IB Analyst/Journalism/something related to finance job. I have proven that I have amazing analysis skill (former employers have said so, it's not me being arrogant) but I don't have the grades, as I tend to be a tad unorthodox and tend to argue with economics teachers, as I often disagree with premises in models. To add difficulties, I want to remain in Europe, despite not having an EU passport.

I'm thinking about cold calling to try to get a job. I'm not particularly fussed about pay, just want someone to sponsor my visa, so I get a stable foothold in Europe. What are your thoughts?

>I often disagree with the premises of models

Well you're going to have a hard time in finance m8

you sound like a real asshole Op. if you analysis skills are so good, then your grades would be better. journalism combined with IB? what you want to be a talking head for MSNBC or something? what the actual fuck that makes no sense. enjoy your no-career shithead

>I often disagree with the premises of models

Yeah, you don't want to be a consultant or analyst. Especially not an IB analyst, where you'll just be a foot soldier.

Journalism might be your best bet, considering your anti-establishment stance. Could be a good read, and you don't need grades to write.

this is bait.

No one is that stupid.

This OP
don't fuck around in finance if you aren't gonna follow the curriculum

Pretty sure it says in models, not of models.
Changes the meaning a lot.

Economics often differs from real life. I've been mentored since before I was 10 on the workings of the stock market, by a professional investor (my father wanted me to have a proper financial education, and thus he made me invest my allowance when I was a kid, then he made me help him out with his portfolio). Furthermore, I've started my own analysis division in my former internship. Both, the traders and the head analysts were impressed with my work.

Ideally I'd like to find a job with The Economist or something.

This is very much not bait. I'd argue that if you actually know what you're talking about you'll often disagree with the mainstream. Take Soros, Buffett, and other value investors that came from Graham's school of thought. For the most part, they consider the mainstream assumptions of Beta, CAPM, quantitative analysis, technical analysis to be little more than voodoo. There's ample evidence to suggest that the EMH is not as all powerful as taught in school, and it's actually dangerous to believe in it.

Same applies to the CFA, a lot of the knowledge looks good on paper, but is impractical in real life.

The stock market is a passion of mine. I have good skills in it. So I am just looking for an "in". I've already gotten an assessment centre with McKinsey last week, so here's hoping that's my in to banking...

Furthermore, modern economics mostly disagrees with the field of behavioural economics, which explains a lot of the failures in traditional economics - I'm not alone in saying this, Paul Krugman has written on this extensively. I use said information to respond exams and get penalised, because it contradicts some of the pristine assertions given by economics.

What's stopping you from applying to jobs you're interested in? I'm just asking because I was/am in a similar situation, shitty grades because I didn't care at all, but spent shit load of time in the library reading books on economics, business and finance, resulting in a much broader knowledge than my classmates despite the bad grades achieved in bullshit courses like Innovation Methods, Marketing Strategy etc.

Meanwhile I landed two unpaid internships at good firms to gain some experience, and now as I'm graduating there wasn't a single company which didn't invite me for an interview. They never asked about my grades, but experience and technical knowledge. I ended up being offered and accepting an internship at one of the top IB firms to value options/commodities. All this with a Business Degree, and (stupidly) hardly any networking.

That's good to hear! In either case, I AM applying to jobs. I'm mainly focusing on Spain, as Mexicans get the Spanish nationality after two years. I'm also applying to Singapore as a last resort, which I'll then use to springboard back into the EU.

The reason I got a tad despondent is that in the UK visas are capped and thus they're REALLY picky. They often tell you not to even bother applying if you have a grade below a certain range. So I sort of assumed that companies were more or less like that everywhere, just to a lesser degree.

Nevertheless, I haven't been asked for my grades when applying to Spain, now that you mention it.However, I think getting the foot in the door is the important thing to do atm, and the next few months when I graduate. It's kinda why I was considering a cold calling campaign.

Do you have any tips btw?

Not a financial analyst, but an IT business analyst (well, that's what I want to get into anyway) here. How do I improve my skillset?

>if you analysis skills are so good, then your grades would be better

Bullshit m8, some people have very good skills and just can't get themselves to chew through hundreds of pages of material they (and everyone else in the course) would forget right after the exam. Depending on the place you study, this constitutes quite a large part of the curriculum.

>I AM applying to jobs. I'm mainly focusing on Spain
>Nevertheless, I haven't been asked for my grades when applying to Spain,
>I've already gotten an assessment centre with McKinsey last week


I am from Spain and what you just wrote doesn’t make any sense.

I didn’t understand if you are already working for some years or you recently/just graduated.

If you recently/just graduated then all what you wrote doesn’t make any sense. In order to pass the screening at IB or MBB they do ask for the grades. And you really need top top top grades and also presumably a relevant internship experience. What do you think where are you applying? A lot of people have top top top grades and apply there. So in addition you need relevant internship/work experience. And no, the story of “my father let me trade” doesn’t count as work experience. So let me doubt that you got an AC for McKinsey.

So based on all you just wrote:

1. You are arrogant as fuck, thinking your way of thining is superior to all the highly intelligent people working at the Modelling and Risk departments at Investment Banks, Consultancies and all the top economist / researchers.

2. You are bullshitting really hard trying to make us join your fantasy.

>I am from Spain and what you just wrote doesn’t make any sense.

Well I did get an assessment centre hahaha. Believe me or not, doesn't matter.

Furthermore, I do have relevant job experience. As said before, I have built up my own analysis division for a smaller IB that only had trading space in Madrid, but no analysis division.

In either case, I might be arrogant but I have the evidence to back up my case... What could I possibly gain from lying about this? I could just as easily say I'm a billionaire and attempt to troll you guys that way...

Find a home away from home

Furthermore, given the fact that the papers put a proportion of the family capital on my name, I put "Private Wealth Advisor and Researcher" for three years. So, even though I'm fresh off of university, I have 3+ years experience in equity/securities analysis. So companies don't seem that miffed about grades whenever I do hear back from them (which admittedly is rare)

hahahaha

"why wont anyone give me money I am real smart"

I don't care about the money. I want someone to give me a chance, and I'm trying to determine the best way to get a fair hearing where I won't be dismissed in under 10 seconds (average time a recruiter spends on a CV)

Also just realised how this sounds, no I'm not a billionaire (I WISH!). Rest I've said on here is true

I don't think it does. Pretty sure OP meant he cant stomach the assumptions in models so he cant run with them, yet some assumptions are always necessary in any simplifying model.

You don't forget course work that you actually learn. Try learning instead of memorizing shit for the test you idiot. Thanks in advance for adding to the already staggering unemployment rate.

>the EMH is not at all powerful as taught in school

I don't know what where you go, but academic finance has moved on quite a long way in development from those ideas. EMH was never held as 'always true', but just as it was named, a hypothesis. Same with the CAPM. And technical analysis has always been discredited by academic financiers anyway. It's the finance practitioners who like to fanboy ideas.

Moreover, if your analysis skills were actually as good as you say they are, then you should be one of the people coming up with your own models. It's one thing to criticise ideas, but what alternative are you offering? You cant claim to be superior in intellect until you do just that.

Post your cumulative GPA, a screenshot of ACTUAL market returns over a period longer than 12 months, and also any extra-curriculars that make you stand out (I traded with dads money doesn't count because everyone else in IB also did this). If you can't do this, then we can't help you. Also, go work in distressed debt in Greece to get a start unless this doesn't fit your made-up autistic reality that you're trying so hard to convince everyone of.

Look. As I said I am from Spain and this doesn't make any sense.

Last summer I did a summer internship in London for a Bulge Bracket IB and I got some friends who interned at IBs in Madrid and at MBB consultancies in Madrid too (I study at a target university in Madrid). And none descripted their application process as you said.

In all the cases (including mine in London) they always ask for my grades before even being allowed to send the application or past the screening and before the first interview. And especially for McKinsey having top top top grades is a MUST. That's the reason I called bullshit.

Also, everything you write sounds strange as fuck. Application process is just as it is and most people applying already know the deal and dont ask your kind of questions especially in a place like Veeky Forums.

>course work

Ha ha. There's barely any actual course work for most subjects. I study finance at my country's top university for economics/business. It's the end of the 2nd year and I've had 2 subjects that are actually relevant to anything someone with a starting job in the field would encounter, and I learned those pretty well, thank you. But practicing everything 10000 times (by everything I mean calculations on paper you will never do in an actual job) and not really knowing what you're doing still gets you much further in terms of grades than an actual understanding of the material. Thankfully employers know exactly how higher education is and don't really give a shit about your GPA around here, the interviews weigh much, much more. Few of them do care, including the top ones I'm aiming to be at in 1,5-2 years, but I already have a degree in NT with a high GPA. And I won't have any major problems once I make it to interview stage. So thanks again, but my future employment prospects are just fine.

>NT

I meant IR

I'm from the US and you can't even get an interview without disclosing your GPA and it must be competitive (>3.5) to even be considered for an interview. I'm not sure what businesses in what country wouldn't require that you be able to complete tasks assigned efficiently and in a reasonable amount of time (how you get good grades in college). I'm smelling bullshit. How would an employer decide to give you an interview if not for your resume which includes your GPA and what not? I'm curious.
Also, you'll start taking more real-world finance oriented classes toward the end of undergrad but you must learn the underlying concepts before you can even begin to understand the reasoning behind these more complicated problems within finance. For instance, if you work out annuities and perpetuities then you can't price bonds or stocks with dividends. You have to crawl before you can walk.
Also, if you can't do WACC, CAPM, DDM, etc. within a minute or two then you aren't usable in finance. Sorry but there are already too many people in the industry that can do this and have better resumes.
>degree in IR
>future employment prospects are just fine
Pick one. Enjoy working middle management / HR for eternity kiddo.

Haha I tricked you. I actually need no advise at all because I already know everything. Are you angry from my clever ruse?

Hungarian spotted. Corvinus?