<p>Was there ever a case where someone became an IB by proving one's intelligence by some other way than by going to a prestigious U and getting a quantitative degree with high GPA and leadership EC activity?</p>
<p>Yeah I can think of a case, his dad was a Managing Director at GS</p>
<p>I’m sure if you’re Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, or Mark Zuckerberg, you will get an IB position if you apply.</p>
<p>Not likely in this day and age unless you are a billionaire Harvard dropout like Bill or Mark–as msl said.</p>
<p>One way is to become a broker or do well trading your own money with a great track record. If you have positive returns, make plenty of money and have good clients, you can network and get a position playing with house money. However, by then, you won’t really want to work in investment banking. you’ll make more money trading by yourself so its pointless to grind for someone else unless they offer a huge take and you have a good agreement.</p>
<p>Not really. If you can’t take the time to get a degree and show you’re dedicated, how can they expect you to work hard and work long hours?</p>