<p>ihateCA, your path is not bad. But the problem I see is that like trading, there is too much risk. You are "hedging" that a BS Finance and MBA will take you up to that high of a position. Its insanely risky because so many people with have the same credentials as you. Why would you be necessarily better than them to deserve the top spot? Not to mention that 95% of the Ibankers never make it to being a trader or working for a PE/HF. And don't forget that 100% of the Ibankers out there already work their asses off.</p>
<p>With my path, each small step/degree that you achieve, it has its definite reward/return on investment.</p>
Polo08816...don't call business majors useless because you'll most likely be working for one, and they'll most likely own your ass.
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With your attitude, I doubt you will ever make it as far as you dream to go.
True winners don't complain like you (ie. "Ewww science"). True winners will compete with you in ANY environment and they will win.</p>
<p>I push myself to limits that you would probably just sputter and die out at. Why don't you try taking a course load of 21 science, engineering, and math courses? You would probably expect this type of workload as an Ibanker anyways. Then why don't you try some more. Why don't you go to the gym to lift everyday for an hour? Then try running 3+ miles twice a week and maybe swimming twice a week for about an hour. And then still sleep at least 7 hours a night and maintain a 3.5 GPA.</p>
<p>If you can't do this, then you better start thinking about another profession because you may not be able to stand the stress of an Ibanker or much less a trader.</p>
<p>True winners will push themselves harder mentally and physically than all of their opponents.</p>
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Funnyman-that's exactly my point. If I do any kind of undergrad science, I'll end up with a 2.0 GPA and not get into grad schools, and not be able to become a trader either, because of the low GPA.
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Don't worry. If you can only manage a 2.0GPA with an undergrad science and not even a professional/graduate science degree, I question whether you really have the potential to become a "trader".</p>
<p>Real winners will be able to succeed at anything.</p>
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Real winners will be able to succeed at anything.
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</p>
<p>Not always. Some people have a natural talent at some things and other have I'm pretty sure that if you asked Bill Clinton or JP Morgan or Oprah to become biomedical engineers, then they wouldn't do too well. These are some of the most successful people in America, and do very well in their own field. I don't have any talent in science. It's always been my worst class. But I can write 20 papers a week in APUSH if I was asked to, and take 25 econ classes if I needed to. Let's just say that I thrive on risk, and there are too many asians at pharmacy/med/engineering schools anyways.</p>
<p>And I'd still be satisfied being an Investment Banker, as long as I get to do it at GS. Just kidding. I'd be satisfied being an investment banker. I don't doubt for a second that I can handle the work BTW. </p>
<p>I'm determined, competitive and hardworking. And I handle pressure very well.</p>
<p>what I don't understand is why would anyone want to make 3MM+ each year.</p>
<p>I live in a neighborhood where the average house costs $2 million, but I would be perfectly content with anything in the 400-500K range. Why would people want so much money? What are you going to do with it? Buy a mansion in Manhattan(not where I live by the way)?</p>
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And I'd still be satisfied being an Investment Banker, as long as I get to do it at GS. Just kidding. I'd be satisfied being an investment banker. I don't doubt for a second that I can handle the work BTW.
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<p>I wish you the best of luck man.</p>
<p>I, personally, don't really care about making boatloads of money. Granted, with the PharmD, MS ChemE, MS EE or MS IO, MBA, and JD will give you the necessary background and tools to make 7 figures or more. I am more interested in control, influence, and power.</p>
<p>I want to control or heavily influence certain industries. This could be anywhere from pharmaceuticals, weapons production (developing biological and chemical agents), petroleum industry, biotech, etc.</p>
<p>I cannot do this without understand the product (engineering). And I certainly can't do it without knowing how to manage it (MBA).</p>
<p>Well if you have a job as unstable as a trader, and are expected to keep up the mansion-in-Greenwich-and-London-and-Paris-drive-a-maserati-and-a-ferrari-and-own-a-private-jet lifestyle, you'd better have a pretty fat bank account...you could be fired within the hour you know. :D</p>
<p>I'm just interested in making the largest amount of money I can in the shortest amount of time. I have no interest in "influencing" an industry, because, as I will reiterate we live in a shallow, capitalistic society where with money comes prestige. You can become the next John D Rockefeller or Andrew Carnegie, and I'll become the next David Tepper. :)</p>
<p>Who the HELL is David Tepper you ask? Exactly. I'd rather be the no-name billionaire than the celebrity. Being a celebrity is too much controversy. </p>
<p>He was a wildly successful hedge fund manager (Appaloosa Management) who donated $55MM to CMU to have the business school named after him.</p>
<p>Alright this thread is absolutely rife with confusion regarding what is a career path to be a trader and that of an ibanker. May I suggest at least doing some research, possibly getting some internships, meetings some traders through friends etc and then posting about how the next 20-30 years of your life is going to be. I can assure you it does not matter that you can work for 24 hours doing grunt work when you are trading.
An example of a traders day would be something like the following: <a href="http://www.americancoalcouncil.org/news/dayinlife.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.americancoalcouncil.org/news/dayinlife.pdf</a></p>
<p>I always look admirably towards people with ambition. However, you should understand what it entails.</p>
I'm just interested in making the largest amount of money I can in the shortest amount of time. I have no interest in "influencing" an industry, because, as I will reiterate we live in a shallow, capitalistic society where with money comes prestige. You can become the next John D Rockefeller or Andrew Carnegie, and I'll become the next David Tepper.
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Then again....John D. Rockefeller was worth $200 billion.</p>
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Real winners will be able to succeed at anything.
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You only have to be good at one thing to succeed - your chosen profession. Even if I were a great hedge fund manager and also a great mechanic, I can't really decide to "succeed" at both of these - I would have to pick one.</p>
<p>Yeah, being a good trader depends highly on instinct, not you chemical engineering degree, if you know the basic functions of what you need to do in trading and can do it well (which can be done with a finance or quantitative degree). Once you can do the basics, all you need is good intuition, drive and luck you can be a successful trader. You can do this with just a b.s. Ashok Varadhan is a MD (maybe PMD) at gs and he just had a b.s. from duke in econ and math. Also you dont have to start out as an ibanker to get into trading, you can go straight in if you have the credentials (b.s. in finance or quant at a pretty well regarded school)</p>
<p>NYU Stern and Uchicago are ur best bets, UMich is very close and CMU Tepper is very close after, if you do well in any of these places your pretty much set for the financial world</p>