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Can a degree from TCD in history/english get me a job in the finance word?

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  • 21-08-2006 4:54pm
    #1
    London2005
    Closed Accounts Posts: 40 ✭


    particularly the top tier investment banks, such as jp morgan etc, or do i need a more buisness/economics oriented degree?

    thanks for your help


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    #2
    stepbar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,123 ✭✭✭stepbar


    what business subjects did you do?


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    #3
    London2005
    Closed Accounts Posts: 40 ✭London2005


    im about to start a history and english course, but i have enough points to do a buisness/economics course, although i prefer the former


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    #4
    stepbar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,123 ✭✭✭stepbar


    What you need to do is find the degree that you want to do and come back and list out what business subjects are taught on it. I got into my masters (Strategic Management) because of the strength of the business subjects on my IT degree. Now I have a job with Bank of Ireland in Business Banking. Dont go making any life changing decisions yet or on my advise....

    Any why would you want to do banking if what you want to do is English and History????


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    #5
    chump
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,807 ✭✭✭chump


    Barclays Capital would be an investment bank, and according to the below page, English/History isn't particularly sought after.


    http://doctorjob.com/Employer/View/EmpFactFileView.asp?intEmployerID=344
    Accounting & finance
    Business & management
    Economics & related
    Computer science & IT
    Maths & related
    Physics & related
    Mechanical engineering & related

    If you are really interested in getting into finance/banking etc., Hist/Eng probably isn't the most suitable course, but you can always to a postgrad course in something more relevant afterwards.


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    #6
    Hitchhiker's Guide to...
    Registered Users Posts: 3,322 ✭✭✭Hitchhiker's Guide to...


    definitely can. it is the quality of the qualification for many employers, not what you actually studied, that matters.

    No harm in doing a Masters (maybe one of the smurfit masters in finance).


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    #7
    xebec
    Registered Users Posts: 3,311 ✭✭✭xebec


    I'm interning in a big IB in the City at the moment, there's a few history students, none from English as far as I know. It is definitely possible to work in this area after that kind of degree - as was already mentioned it's the quality of the degree that is most sought after - but do expect to show some initiative to learn things about banking outside your course if you really want to get into the best places. Personality, ambition and commitment are considered just as highly (if not more so) than what you actually study.

    Attended a 3 day conference with one of the biggest consultancies in the world recently - they value a history degree very highly, maybe 20% of the people there were studying history or languages with others studying science, engineering and business related courses.

    Good luck with Trinity - I'm still there - and at this stage of your life choose the course because of your interests now rather than what you think you might like to do as a career. Banking from the inside isn't exactly the job that it looks like from the outside!


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    #8
    stepbar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,123 ✭✭✭stepbar


    Roundtower2 wrote:
    definitely can. it is the quality of the qualification for many employers, not what you actually studied, that matters.

    No harm in doing a Masters (maybe one of the smurfit masters in finance).

    Smurfit is not as good as it was years ago, ever since they started letting in all the "private" school folk in with 2.2's..... The amount of times they contacted me looking for me to do a Masters there was shocking. Smelled like desperation :rolleyes: Smurfit is overrated and shockingly expensive. Simply not worth the money IMO. no offense if you lecture in Smurfit :)

    I agree with what you said above that, but in fairness the OP would want to have some background in business (i.e. at least a few business subjects in the course he is proposing to do).


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    #9
    xebec
    Registered Users Posts: 3,311 ✭✭✭xebec


    stepbar wrote:
    I agree with what you said above that, but in fairness the OP would want to have some background in business (i.e. at least a few business subjects in the course he is proposing to do).

    Why? Eh, I actually work in an Investment Bank and I have friends who studied Biology, Chemistry, History, French & Italian etc. etc. A little bit of a back ground will give some advantage but I don't believe in choosing subjects at university on the off chance that you might have a slightly higher chance of getting a job you may not even like.

    From my experience it can be done - there's even advantages to not having a business background, you're different from the people they see all of the time, you think differently and therefore may be more useful for idea generation (all of the big banks nowadays value change very highly), you have shown commitment and drive to move into a career that you have no background in but feel that you might excel in.

    In all honesty, there are certain things that you must have to get a career in this industry, a business degree isn't one of them.

    A valid point was made earlier about moving into a business school for postgraduate study - a director at UBS graduated from Trinity with music, went to business school for a year and rose through the ranks of UBS to his current role in under 8 years (faster than average).


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    #10
    stepbar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,123 ✭✭✭stepbar


    Now I never said that one needed a business degree, I have an IT degree so that throws that out the window... But what is needed is an interest in business and the best way to test that interest is by having a few subjects in the mix. Out of all the subjects I done over the last 5 yrs, I have always had at least one business subject (e.g. Strategic Management) / work related subject (e.g Customer Service). When you go on to a Masters level (in a business area) it is good to be able to bring a few business subjects with you. Thats all I am saying, of course its up to the OP to decide all we can do is offer advice :)


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