Wall Street Oasis

In this episode, Tim shares his path graduating with a masters in engineering and quickly losing his job as the scandal at Enron unfolded.  We learn how he got back on his feet, how he leveraged the MBA to get a job in investment banking on the west coast during the great financial crisis in 2009 and eventually how he had a 10 year run from Associate up to Director at Barclays.  This is a long one, but Tim was a really insightful guest so I wanted to unpack what each stage was like for him.   

In this episode, FinTechSF shares his winding path from graduating during the financial crisis in 2008 and having to leave the US as an international student back to Dubai.  Learn how he got his foot in the door at PwC in audit and managed to make the transition over to the transaction advisory practice in only 1.5 years even though they kept telling him no.  Find out why he moved back to the US a few years later and eventually joined the corporate side in their M&A group.

In this episode, Yuri shares his winding path starting out graduating from his master's program in London right at the start of the global financial crisis and turning down an offer to start at Goldman Sachs to travel the world and try to get into a more direct investing role.  Listen to his great advice on specific questions to ask when interviewing for asset management or hedge fund roles as a junior analyst and also make sure to check out his blog snippet.finance, a place where he shares interesting snippets of financial data and analysis.

In this episode, SkininTheGame16 shares his non-traditional path to a top asset manager in London.  From dropping out of high school to traveling abroad to breaking into a top Masters program in London, hear how he navigated some unforgiving circumstances growing up in Brussels.

In this episode, Avi shares his unusual path from investment banking, to running a magazine start-up and then back into investment banking two years later.  After that re-entry into finance, Avi was able to lateral to an IR role at a private equity fund and eventually became COO of Riverside's European Fund 7 years later.  Finally, he made the bold (and I'd argue crazy) move to pursue a phD while working and everntually found himself at Landmark, a private equity fund focused on the secondary market, running the quant research division.  

In this episode, Stephanie shares her winding path over her almost 20 years in finance.  From getting a ton of responsibility early in her career for internal M&A at a Big 4 to her pivot into investment banking in DCM, she always seemed to find her way to rapid promotions and managing large teams.  Learn what she feels set her apart and how you might be able to emulate some of that magic.

In this episode, Daniel shares his long and winding path in finance careers.  Initially getting his undergrad degree, a CPA and a Masters in Finance in France, he moved the USA with Deloitte in their restructuring practice.  From there, he used an MBA from NYU Stern to jump into investment banking at Lehman Brothers, starting as an associate with 3 young kids.   We learn how he was able to make the jump into a real estate private equity fund and what happened 4 years later during the Great Financial Crisis.  Listen to hear some wise advice on how to survive many twists and turns! 

In this episode, Ryan shares his interesting path from graduating as an Engineer in rural Canada to pivoting to get his MBA from Oxford several years later.  Learn why he ended up joining E&Y's transaction advisory services upon graduating and how he was able to land a hybrid job in private equity and venture capital within one year in London.  We also hear why he decided to leave it all behind 5 years later for a new degree to get back to his technical roots and what his new business in data analytics, called Zenlytics is up to.   

In this episode, member @EdmundBerke shares his path from a non-target school in the southeast US to breaking into an investment analyst role at a $3bn family office straight out of undergrad through a church program.  Learn why he transitioned out of that role, how he helped add value to a legal firm for their ultra-high net worth clients and then was able to successfully pivot to a venture capital role.  

In this episode, member MBBtoPE shares his path out of a target university to a top role at a management consulting firm.  We also get an inside look into what it was like recruiting for private equity during the crazy 2019 on-cycle recruiting process.  From interviewing on a Thursday night from 8pm until 1am to starting again the next day at 7am, listen to game theory applied in a real-life context and learn how he dealt with the split-second decisions that had significant career implications. 

In this episode, Brian shares his path from undergrad in the US to working straight for a new venture capital fund in Tokyo.  Learn why he turned down his return offer in investment banking after his junior year summer at Jefferies and what the biggest challenges were as a junior employee in a sink-or-swim role.   

In this episode, MidwestMonkey2 shares his story coming out of a large non-target state school.  Learn how he still managed to land incredible internships at front office investment banking roles in both his sophomore and junior year as well as why he turned down his full-time offer from one of them to jump straight to the buyside.  I think this episode really highlights the power of saying no and waiting for the right opportunity.

In part 2 of this 2 part chat with Paul, we cover his days working at McKinsey and how he managed to make the difficult transition into private equity as a consultant.  We talk all about the private equity recruiting process, imposter syndrome, meditation and how he was able to find balance.  In this part 2, Paul has some really great foundational advice for young motivated go-getters, so make sure you stay until the end.

In part 1 of this 2 part chat with Paul, we cover his days as an undergraduate at a non-target school in the midwest.  We find out how he managed to break into an investment banking internship at Morgan Stanley and why he pivoted to consulting after a health scare.  We learn how he was able to successfully recruit at both a top investment bank AND a top consulting firms in back to back years.  In this part 1, we step back to really evaluate his internships and recruiting out of undergrad to find out what really opened the most doors for him.  

In this episode, Jeffrey shares his eclectic path from two non-target schools, shifting to night classes so he could earn money in real estate his junior year and how he ended up at several Boiler Rooms.  He also covers his eventual pivot to break into Morgan Stanley and why that didn't end up being a long term stay, how he added value at HSBC and his rough transition out of a family office that was dabbling in venture capital.  Learn how he made each transition and advice he would give to his younger self.  

In this episode, Julie shares her winding path from studying Biomedical Ethics at Cornell to getting her MBA at Columbia, to joining McKinsey as a health specialist to her stint in investment banking at Lazard as an associate.  Listen to hear about her triumphs and struggles as she navigated a move to London to join the venture arm of a large biopharma company to her move back to the states five years later, all while starting a family.   

In this episode, learn how @mstrat spent three years in a large consulting firm before making the jump to a middle-market private equity firm.  Learn about the recruiting process for consulting out of undergrad, how he leveraged two internship offers to get into the city and group he wanted, how to position yourself for private equity recruiting coming from a consulting background and what resources he used to land the offer (hint, you might have heard of it before...)

In this episode, an old high school classmate of mine, Peter Christodoulo shares his winding path and how he ended up as a Partner at a private equity megafund, Francisco Partners in SF.  We hear about what happened to the tech startup he launched during undergrad at Harvard, his analyst days in investment banking at Credit Suisse, his jump to private equity at TH Lee and finally, his lateral move to the small London office at Francisco Partners during the great financial crisis.  Listen to hear his views on where the private equity market is headed, the trend toward hiring from non-traditional channels as well as the differences across the PE market in London compared to San Francisco.  Stay to the end to hear his advice on how to help differentiate yourself in a competitive recruiting process.

In this episode, Justin shares his impressive path with us.  We cover how he was able to break into Goldman Sachs on the high yield trading desk directly out of a non-target university,  what his internships were like, how he was able to build relationships and what has changed now that he has moved to the buyside at Oaktree.  Listen to hear how his work ethic, interpersonal skills and attitude made all of the difference. 

In this episode, Joshua shares his path from Princeton to investment banking at Credit Suisse.  Learn why it wasn't a great fit for him, his surprising transition out, the risks and benefits of not having a clear direction and how he landed at an exciting small business experiencing rapid growth.  I really enjoyed this chat because there was a lot of honest reflection about burnout, private equity recruiting,  trying to find your way and the importance of exploration and faith in your abilities to find interesting opportunities - many which you'd never know about unless you were actively looking.  

In this episode, Douglas Rogers shares his long and winding path after graduating from Cornell in 1996.  We learn about his stint as a broker-dealer, his time as an associate portfolio manager for ultra-high net worth individuals, as well as what happened when he founded his own advisory firm only a few years out of school.  Listen to hear where there were pitfalls, the lessons he learned and why after several stints at senior positions at boutique IBs ...he has decided to become CEO again with the launch of Semi Cap Equity Partners. 

In this episode, @imsurance shares what he did during his senior year when he realized his dream of going to medical school wasn't going to happen.  We learn how he graduated from Emory and went straight to a back-office role at a large financial services firm, but kept focused on his ultimate goal of breaking into investment banking.  As part of this path, he was able to successfully transition to the middle office of a top bulge bracket investment bank and eventually break into Booth for his MBA.  Listen to the end for some wise advice.  

In this episode, Steph shares his very unusual path into venture capital.  We learn how his lack of a traditional background both helped and hurt him repeatedly throughout his career.  Listen to find out why he thinks he was successful and why when you drop out of VC it's so hard to get back in.  Learn one piece of critical advice he'd give his younger self and his future plans. 

In this episode, Jason Scott, former managing director at Deutsche on the derivatives sales desk talks with me about his 20+ years in finance.  With stints at Barclays and Credit Suisse, Jason has an interesting perspective, especially since he also worked in a variety of locations including in London, Singapore and Hong Kong.  We learn what it was like on Black Monday back in 1987 as a trader on the floor, the transition from trader to sales as well as how he thought about each successive jump in his career.  Listen as he gives one piece of critical career advice near the end.

In this episode, I'm joined by Carter Malloy, CEO & Founder of Acretrader.com, a site where you can easily invest in farmland.  Prior to breaking out on his own, Carter spent five years at a long-short hedge fund and over seven years in equity research at Stephens before that.  Learn what he liked most about equity research and investing as well as why he eventually decided to start his own company.  

In this episode, @LondonMentor shares his journey from going to a non-target in Italy to breaking into consulting where he worked for over 3 years.  Listen how he eventually decided to take on a lot of debt to go to a top MBA program and make a successful transition to investment banking in London at a top bank.  Make sure you don't miss how much he had to pay in penalties to his consulting firm for not going back and why it was still an easy choice for him.  A really fun chat, hope you enjoy it!

In this episode, John LeFevre, author of Straight to Hell and popular twitter handle @GS Elevator joins the WSO pod to discuss his volatile career path.  We learn about what initially drew him to Wall Street, why he left after a decade and what he's up to now with a variety of startups.  I think John's path is a great reminder of some of the dangers young finance professionals face.  The temptations, the drugs and the potential erosion of character in the chase for money is still something that is very much alive.  Check out his latest entrepreneurial endeavors including thewhim.com which is a collection of interesting content around lifestyle, finance and travel and brummelco.com, a fashion startup he launched a few years ago.

In this episode, member @Yologoose96 share his path from being unemployed when he first graduated in 2011 to working as a paralegal for $43,000 per year to now making well over $200,000 as an Associate Director at a large private equity fund in a business dev function.  Learn how he was able to make an internal pivot from compliance to business development at a large asset manager, what was the key inflection point in his career and how he was ready to take advantage when the opportunity presented itself.

In this episode, Arjun shares his path from a top undergraduate university to a quant role that also gave him exposure to some fundamental investing.  We learn about his short stint in venture investing and why he jumped back into a quant role at a bulge bracket investment bank as well as the programs and skills needed to land these competitive roles.

In this episode, @Nick shares his path from the University of Chicago to working at Piper Jaffray in Healthcare M&A out of the New York office.  How he was able to transition from a summer analyst role in ECM to M&A with a risky move, why he left after two years to start not one, but two companies and why he followed his sister's advice to go straight into Venture Capital.

In this episode, @Gaurav-Goel shares hit path from the ultra-competitive Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to ECSP Business School in Paris for his Masters in Management.  Learn how this degree differs from an MBA, the opportunities it affords during the gap year and how Gaurav leveraged it to land multiple top internships at large investment banks.  Hear about his struggles to get his first break trying to stay in Paris speaking French and how once he broke through he was able to perform at the top of his internship class to get multiple full-time offers.  Eventually, accepting an offer at Goldman in M&A in Paris, he stayed there for 7 years before jumping to Astorg Partners, a highly successful private equity fund in Europe.  Learn why he wasn't able to save much when making hundreds of thousands of Euros each year, why he left to found his own start-up after a few years and what's in store for him next...

In this episode, @MauricioMBA shares his path working at JP Morgan in the strategy and CFO office and his ability to make the jump to the structured products desk.  How he transitioned to Barclays, eventually making his way into an impact investing role as well as some important advice for younger listeners just starting out their careers.

In this episode, we talk with Nate Bailey who survived a tough job market by selling life insurance out of his non-target university.  Learn what was the hardest part of his path, the difference between being an agent and a broker and specific advice he gives to the younger listeners.  

In this episode, @BostonMD shares his path of 11 years of schooling to get his medical degree to breaking into top consulting firm.  Learn why he pivoted away from medicine and some of the opportunities afforded to graduate students trying to break into strategy consulting.  We also hear what has been the most difficult part of his transition to work and one wise piece of advice he gives to the younger listeners.

In this episode, Joshua Glessing shares the unique path that has landed him the role of VP of Strategy of the Haslam Group which is the parent company for the Cleveland Browns, Columbus Crew, and other sport affiliated businesses.  We learn how a late pivot during his college days was a life-altering decision, how he transitioned from a public finance role to an advisory role at Goldman Sachs as well as the one piece of advice he has for younger folks trying to find their way.

In this episode, Adam shares his long and winding road from investment banking at Goldman Sachs, to medical school at UPenn and then to joining the MD/MBA program at Wharton.  Learn why he ended up in McKinsey doing strategy consulting after one year of residency and listen to the end for one big warning as you set out to map your career.

In this episode, @BankerTurnedDrinkMaker shares his path from Arizona State to breaking into a bulge bracket investment bank.  How he navigated coming from a non-target school, how he prepped for his interviews, how he networked and lessons learned along the way.  Don't miss this one, there is some great insight!

In this episode, @WSO1856 shares his path from an FLDP program and how he managed to lateral into an investment banking analyst position.  We learn about his thought process during college, why he was too late and how he managed to break in through the side door after a year in the finance development leadership program at a Fortune 500 company.

In this episode, @dcorey shares his path from how he broke into Bear Stearns from a complete non-target school right before the financial crisis to how he survived once it was acquired by JP Morgan.  Listen to hear why he followed a managing director to a smaller firm in the renewable energy space as well as one piece of advice he would give to his younger self.

In this episode, @Mentor2020 shares his path to working in investment banking even though he was super late to start recruiting and waiting until his junior year before trying to land a summer internship.  How he was able to survive layoffs at his first bank by lateraling to another and why he eventually jumped over to an internal strategy role at a bulge bracket investment bank.  Listen to hear the one piece of advice he'd give his younger self...I think we all need a reminder like this every once in a while.

In this episode, member @jKim219 shares his story graduating during the financial crisis in 2008.  Hear about what is was like to work at a prop trading shop that requires you to put up your own money, what he did when he burned out and quit and finally how he turned it all around.  

In this episode, Rick shares his path from a complete non-target school in the midwest to breaking into a top MSF in Europe.  Learn what he did that allowed him to break into a Bulge Bracket bank in London BEFORE his Masters in Finance and why he turned down offers from a private equity megafund.  What he did when bridges were burned with some recruiters and how he ended up at a long/short hedge fund.

In this episode, @DSICA shares his path starting out as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch back in 2006 to transitioning twice internally with a critical mentor connection.  Learn how he pivoted to VISA, got promoted to Director and eventually helped co-found his own FinTech venture capital fund.  He also shares one piece of advice he gives to younger folk graduating today to build meaningful connections.

In this episode, Emily shares her path from a non-target school to landing a summer internship at Goldman Sachs.  What she did when she didn't get the return offer in 2008 and a detailed dive into the day to day of analysts in the fund advisory group at Lazard.  Learn how that group and working as a placement agent is different from investment banking and why a transition to investor relations in private equity is a natural next step.  Also, some important advice on the one thing you should believe in before taking on significant career risk.