Investment Banker/Trader/Accountant

Dudee, my dad is an investment banker, he works in risk and control, and has done for 30 years, he doesn't have a single degre or diploma, in fact, none of his department do!

Your dad isn't an investment banker. An investment banker specifically works in the investment banking division, likewise traders aren't investment bankers either.

Risk and control are middle office support roles for the trading desks, they basically make sure traders aren't reckless.

It was 100% possible to get a job at an IB without a degree 30 years ago, not anymore.

Dudee, my dad is an investment banker, he works in risk and control, and has done for 30 years, he doesn't have a single degre or diploma, in fact, none of his department do!

Whilst I do believe you that there are guys who have worked in IB for 30 years who don't have a degree, this isn't necessary helpful advice for the 17 year old student who wishes to take this route.
30 years ago you could get loads of professional jobs without a degree and learn as you studied, now a degree is basically used to filter out candidates they don't think will be able to learn. I think it's a load of shite and in many cases for non-specialist jobs (scientist, computer scientist, mathematician) you could probably be trained up to be good enough for an entry level position in 6 months as opposed to taking the degree, but you have to play the game and not having a degree will screw OP so hard.

Yes

It'd be alright, not a full on target but it does well enough year on year.

What i am trying to find out, and I am doing so in a very roundabout way is whether I would be better off studying at Bristol, a place that is renowned for Engineering, but is only a Semi-Target, or studying it Warwick, a place that is not renowned for Mechanical Engineering, but is a target university?

Another thing that I have been told may be a good idea is that if I don't get into IB, many large companies (the example used was BP) have trading floors, so this may be an alternative path into finance.

Also, unrelated, but you seem to be on every single forum on TSR, how can you manage!

Target wins every day of the week. Banks don't care whether your engineering degree is 'renouned', they just focus on recruiting from their core set of schools.

Yes, BP, EDF, Maersk etc, mostly oil or energy or commodities companies will have physical trading desks.

I get bored, plus there's a huge amount of misinformation surrounding IB on these forums.

That seems surprising to me. Obviously I have to see about where I like, but the more I think about the more I want to go to Cambridge.

On top of doing really well, what can I do to make myself stand out. I have got on to a head start course at Bristol and have thought of maybe writing a report on something engineering based as this may be a talking point.

I am the house captain at my school, but I don't imagine that counts for a whole lot.

Your extra curriculars are the most important thing. focus on them. House captain is pretty good since it shows leadership skills but also do a sport or volunteering or both. Of course, do extra curriculars that interest you, not just for IB.

Oh, I didn't add sport. I play tennis relatively frequently, and to a good level, however I have never really been bothered to play competitively, so don't have much to show for my tennis. I am on the school team and have the tour jacket to show for that, though!

I have done 6 months of volunteering (probably close to about 80 hours at Cancer Research)

I have done DofE Bronze, which I hear is the most irrelevant thing going.

Engineering Society

Maths Mentor

Little things like that, are they helpful?

Cheers

Yep those are good extra curriculars. Just keep doing them and join the finance society when you are at university.

source.. could you elaborate on this?

i've been in there tower hill office for a summer internship and haven't met anyone without a degree in their FO divisions

Would you be at a disadvantage doing a degree at Durham because of it's geography, you can't easily pop down to London for an interview like may be more possible at somewhere like Cambridge, Bristol etc?

Haven't you just answered your own question haha ?

I don't know if that is a consideration that has to be made though, will you have to travel to interviews during your term time?

Would you be at a disadvantage doing a degree at Durham because of it's geography, you can't easily pop down to London for an interview like may be more possible at somewhere like Cambridge, Bristol etc?

The reason I ask is because I was talking with someone the other day and I was explaining to him how I really enjoy maths and physics and he suggested doing Physics a a degree choice. Upon looking, Durham looks like the place to be for physics and so I was wondering about the technicalities, but I suppose it is the last of my worries.

I guess physics stands up as much as mech eng would in an interview?

Your degree becomes moot once you hit interview, it's all on you as a person at that point.

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