Wall Street Oasis

Member @ConsultingDetroit shares his path from graduating into an engineering role right before the financial crisis in 2007, getting fired from his first job in under a year and taking on debt to pivot and get an MBA in the evening program.  Learn some great unique tips for consulting case interviews, how he learned the best practices as a peer coach and what's in store for him next. Also, since this is Episode #50, I just wanted to take a second and thank all the listeners for sticking with me.  This podcast has been super fun and interesting for me and I hope it's given you some value as well.  I'm excited for the next 50 episodes on our way to 100!  Enjoy.

Member @bmeNerd shares his story about striking out the first time during case interviews at McKinsey to landing the offer the second time around.  Find out what changed that made the difference, the challenges pivoting from academia to management consulting as well as advice he'd give to his younger self. 

Member @Layne Stayley, one of the most giving members in all of WSO's history, shares his inspiring path as an engineering student graduating during the Great Recession in 2008 all the way to a post-MBA associate seat in private equity and now VP at a Merchant Bank in the Northwest.  He shares how he first broke into consulting out of undergrad during a very tough recruiting environment, his jump to investment banking and how he was laughed out of the room by a PE partner during an info session when he told him that his eventual goal was private equity.  Learn how he managed to prove that partner wrong with some simple legwork.  Having lived in a lot of different regions and tasted a lot of different industries in his short career, I hope this guest gives you a nice taste of the nuances of each.  

Member @Phillysfinest shares his path from a liberal arts college to working in Nomura's structured products desk.  How he got promoted to associate, how much he was paid and why he decided to leave all of that behind to start his own company.

Member @spydahmonkey shares his brave path which led him to move to Chile after graduating undergrad in the US with limited skills in Spanish, a limited network and no full-time experience.  We explore how he eventually landed his first break, how he was able to eventually transition to investment banking and what's in store for him next. 

Member @mledyard shares her path from working in corporate development at International Paper and moving up the ranks to her transition to investment banking.  In part 2 of this 2 part episode, Megan shares her experience as an Associate in investment banking.  How she survived without prior banking experience and two key tips for having a successful career. 

Member @mledyard shares her path from working in corporate development at International Paper and moving up the ranks to her eventual transition to investment banking.  In this first part of a 2 part episode, Megan gives us a detailed look at her thought process of why she started in corp dev at such a large firm and how she continually got promoted.  We also explore how she had to hustle to land an investment banking associate offer out of Booth since she was in the night program.  

In this episode, Adam shares how he broke into Big 4 Audit after working for a year at a non-profit after graduating his super non-target with a degree in accounting.  We learn how he ended up at that non-target, how he made the jump into the Big 4 and then how his impressive performance opened doors internally to make his final transition into more interesting strategy work.    Learn why his bosses were consistently impressed so you can try to emulate his path.

Member @CRE Entrepreneur shares his path from undergrad to working as a brokerage analyst.  He covers his shift over to the portfolio management side of the business, why he enjoys real estate, how much his pay has gone up since he graduated 4 years ago and what's in store for him next.  Also, listen to hear what he is investing in now and who he feels is a good fit for real estate finance careers. Want him to mentor you? Check out his profile here Want to ask some questions? Check out his AMA here

Member @CPAtoIB shares his path from a state-school into audit at the Big 4.  Find out what piqued his interest in investment banking and the buyside and how he navigated over to transaction advisory services as an intermediate step to his end goal.  Learn about pay ranges at each of these stages and what's in store next for him. 

Member @sman540 shares his journey from a small boutique bank to a reputable bulge bracket investment bank.  How he struck out the first time with on-cycle private equity recruiting while at the boutique and how he recovered the second time around.  Learn about how intense the on-cycle private equity recruiting process is and why it's similar to a hostage situation Want him to mentor you? Check out his profile here. Take a look at his recent AMA here

Richard Hill, founder of Hill Industries and VoteOurVoice shares his story from FX and bond trader at Barclays to VP in capital markets and private placements at Citi.  Why he had multiple offers and the cold realities during a downturn.  we have a candid conversation about how to prepare for interviews, pay back in the 90s vs today.  We find out why he was successful building his own boutique investment bank and what he's up to now. Want to work with this mentor? Check him out here!

In this two-part series, member @LateralMonkey shares her story from a non-target school all the way to the front office at a bulge bracket investment bank.  Find out what helped her land a rare sophomore summer internship in capital markets and why she despised it.  Why she stayed at the same bank for her junior summer and what saved her time and time again.  This is part 2 or 2 Want to book time with this mentor? Check out her profile here.

In this two-part series, member @LateralMonkey shares her story from a non-target school all the way to the front office at a bulge bracket investment bank.  Find out what helped her land a rare sophomore summer internship in capital markets and why she despised it.  Why she stayed at the same bank for her junior summer and what saved her time and time again.  This is part 1 or 2.   Want to book time with this mentor? Check out her profile here.

Member @Kindred.Soul shares his journey from a walk-on at his undergrad D1 football program all the way to the NFL.    Learn why he left professional football after only 3 years, why it was at the worst possible time, how he broke into investment banking and the struggles he's overcome at his bulge bracket bank to get promoted.   His AMA is linked here.  Want him to Mentor You?  Book time to chat with him here

Member @Mentor2019 shares his story from a semi-target to landing a bulge bracket investment banking offer.  Why he stayed for 3 years before making the jump to private equity and why he targeted smaller funds. His AMA is linked here.  Want him to Mentor You?  Book time to chat with him here

Member @UnbreakableGlass shares how he broke into a competitive finance leadership development program in a large hospital network in the midwest.  We cover what his parents did for him, finding your purpose and the benefits of not chasing the same path as everyone else. Want him to mentor you? Check out his profile here.

Member @Wallstreet18 had no clue what investment banking even was when he graduated from his non-target MBA program in 2010.  Learn how he was able to pivot into the Big4 Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) group and then lateral to a middle market investment bank.  What each transition was like and why he actually craved more hours. Want him to Mentor You?  Book time to chat with him here

Member @Bull-Ish shares how he built up a robust internship profile and networked aggressively throughout his undergraduate studies to help him break into an elite boutique investment bank from a complete non-target with a 3.4 GPA.  How he was able to secure an offer even after bombing multiple investment banking superdays and what happened when he had to leave unexpectedly from his analyst stint. His AMA is linked here.  Want him to Mentor You?  Book time to chat with him here

Member @GunnarGregory shares his path from working at Goldman in investment banking across two different groups, from joining a start-up hedge fund to now branching out to run his own business.  What he learned along the way, how he views mentors and a certain mindset that helps him grow. His AMA is linked here.  Want him to Mentor You?  Book time to chat with him here