WSO Weekly Wrap-up

February 23, 2025

In partnership with



Hey WSO Monkey,

It's time to unwind with your fellow WSO Monkeys—no sign-ups, just swing by! 

  • When: Wednesday, February 26th, 8pm-10pm ET

  • Venue: Barsecco in Brickell, Miami

  • How to find the group: If you have trouble locating us, mention "Wall Street Oasis" or your host, Rohan, to be directed to the group.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. GS Juniors Passing Out in the Office? – “I want to speak directly to young professionals and students entering the industry, full of ambition and eager to prove themselves. It’s good to be driven, but you need to understand one thing: no one is going to look out for you. In this system, your well-being doesn’t matter. Sometimes, you have to be selfish. When you’re young, you want to prove yourself, give it your all, and push your limits—but no one teaches you where to draw the line. So, set boundaries. Take care of yourself. Never sacrifice your health for a job. If you lose your health—or worse—nothing else will matter. Your family, your future, and everything you’ve worked for will suffer. Work hard, but never at the expense of your life.”

  2. The Fallacy of Business School From a PE Associate – “The MBA has been marketed as the ultimate career accelerator and a passport to elite networks, industry leadership, and financial success. However imo in modern, the harsh reality is clear: The MBA is no longer a wealth-building or elite networking tool. Instead imo, it has become an expensive career detour that benefits employers more than students. While past generations leveraged MBAs to build financial empires, today’s graduates are simply optimizing for salary increases rather than creating real wealth or impact. The modern MBA is a prestige-driven corporate safety net for risk adversed people (like my self previously), not a launchpad for innovation, ownership, or financial independence…”

  3. JP Morgan Analysts Save 3 Hours a Day—”You Can Too – Context is the AI-powered workspace designed for financial analysts who want to automate reports, analyze data instantly, and generate insights in seconds. At firms like JP Morgan, analysts cut hours of manual work with AI—Context helps you build models, forecast trends, and prepare presentations faster than ever. Stop wasting time in spreadsheets and start focusing on strategy. Sign up for free today and take back your time.”

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Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. 2 Years Later (I Finally Got the Offer!) – “I have nothing motivating to say but I would just like to announce that I just signed an offer for a listed company's corp fin team and I will doing M&A work focused in the renewable sector. Couldn't have done it without WSO, without all the comments pushing me to keep going on and all the posts of like-minded individuals sharing their experiences. All the nights of grinding after work, all the weekends of staying in practicing and preparing for interviews while all my peers are out having fun. I feel bittersweet now, my ex constantly pushed me to be better and made me dare to dream big and aim high…”

  2. Bonus Spending – “Please max out your ROTH. Assuming you have already. Only $7K. In a few years you'll be so glad you did. Assuming you are an accredited investor (or will be in a year?), you have MANY additional investment options. The bonus: you are very well-educated and totally able to due diligence these opportunities. Start learning, familiarizing yourself with sponsors, learning segments you would like to invest in. If you have funds in tax-deferred accounts outside of work (ROTH, or regular IRA), you can self-direct the funds with certain custodians. There really are so many options once you are in private placement territory as an accredited investor. Of course these funds can be invested in taxable accounts, yes you will pay tax but you might be able to accumulate the funds you're looking to purchase real estate quicker. Private lending doesn't require you to be accredited, another great option. Just a thought. Develop the passive income streams and use that to buy your watch, you'll feel so proud of the accomplishment…”

  3. Resignation Stories – “I quit a place that I really hated on a personal level. It had a very bureaucratic culture where HR/Legal/Compliance were all on power trips all the time. I had bigger reasons for quitting, but a small reason was my frequent ugly run-ins with these hall monitor types. So I tell my boss I'm going to a new job, and he schedules me for the typical HR meeting. HR asks me to sign a 2-page document saying I'm resigning voluntarily. I wondered why does it take so many words to say I'm resigning? I skimmed it for 3 seconds, it basically absolves them of any liability for illegal termination or whatever…”

  4. MD Ghosting Me After Matching on Jerkmate Ranked – “I haven’t been staffed on a single new deal. I’m top bucket, I respond to comments faster than anyone, and yet, my staffing requests keep getting ignored. My group head won’t even make eye contact with me. If I pass him in the hallway, he suddenly remembers he has emails to check. If I speak on a Teams meeting, he nods way too aggressively but refuses to actually acknowledge me. I’m legitimately concerned that I’ve tanked my career because I accidentally beat my MD in a competitive Jerkmate match. Do I bring this up? Try to clear the air? Or do I just wait it out and pray I get staffed again?”

WSO Alpha: Latest Updates 📈

We uploaded the December brokerage report for those of you curious how we did.

Hot Jobs 💼

Project Finance Associate - "This is a career-level role, and we expect the Project Finance Associate to grow and find new ways to impact our organization, contributing to Zanskar’s broader financial and capital allocation strategy..."

Investment Banking Analyst - “A boutique IB practice focused on MM M&A. Lean, mean, entrepreneurial team of highly motivated deal makers who all ‘punch above our weight’. While other investment banks have large teams working around the clock, we work smart in small teams, and achieve outstanding results for our clients and still get home in time to see our families. Industry generalists…“

Research Associate (Equity Small Mid Cap) - New York, NY - "This position will support the Small/Mid-Cap Equity research team and initially be responsible for covering multiple sectors in support of current team members."

On Deck - Training 🎓

All in Eastern Standard Time

Stay Strong,
Patrick Curtis
CEO and Founder, WallStreetOasis.com

WSO Mobile App: iOS | Android

PS - We're also always looking to add resume reviewers and WSO Mentors to our team. Set your own pay (from $40/hr to up to $400/hr) to increase or decrease mentee flow. To submit an application, go here.

PPS - Think you have an interesting story? Want to share it with our podcast listeners? Hit reply and let me know!




* PE Interview Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the PE Interview Course
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*** IB Interview Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the IB Interview Course