Investment banking and hedge fund help?

Question

I am still young but i am looking into colleges.. I aspire to be an investment banker or manage hedge funds. What college degree and what part of business should i specialize in to be a investment banker? or a hedge fund manager

Answer 1

I suggest you read this book:

http://www.alibris.com/booksearch.detail...

If you still want to manage hedge funds then say goodbye to your integrity.

Answer 2

Wharton, Harvard, Columbia, Stern, Duke.

You could set up a portfolio on a site like xearn.com to show how interested and capable you are at investing.

Answer 3

Bachelors - Any business degree works. I picked Business Management because I knew that I was going to get an MBA/Finance for my masters.

Masters - Two choices here for investment banking. The traditional one is a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on finance. The newer choice available in a few schools is a Master's in Financial Engineering (MFE). The former is less math based than the latter.

Any accredited university is fine, but if you want to start off with a prestigious firm and make decent money (100-200k), you are going to need a degree from one of the top business schools and you are going to have to shine amongst your peers.

Top Business Schools (few examples in no specific order):

1. Harvard

2. Berkeley

3. Wharton

etc etc.

A degree from the right university can give you a jump start, but any degree from a full accredited university is a viable choice. Just keep in mind that to be successful in the finance field, you need a masters degree in business (MBA or MFE are probably the best choices).

Answer 4

Get a degree in Economics and hold 2-3 hedge fund and investment banking internships during school. Get an invesment banking of hedge fund job after you graduate, don't settle for anything else. Work 2-3 years and consider getting your Chartered Financial Analyst or Chartered Hedge Fund Associate (CHA) designation or an MBA.  Hope that helps.  Here is a guide to hedge fund careers I have on my blog: http://richard-wilson.blogspot.com/2008/...

- Richard

http://hedgefundgroup.org

Answer 5

Investment banking firms have traditionally liked to see an MBA from a top school before they will hire you into their training program.

A lot of hedge funds are small operations (even the ones with large amounts of capital).  They are frequently managed by the founders who have some trading experience that gives them a track record.  People who invest money in hedge funds don't want to buy education; they want to buy success.  To the extent that they hire outside traders, they don't want you to have learned all sorts of incorrect theories in class.  They will train you.  They are more interested in your involvement in athletics, because it proves that you have the stamina for a stressful job and have a competitive attitude.