WSO Weekly Wrap-up

April 05, 2025

Hey WSO Monkey,

Another packed week. Reflecting on a crazy recruiting cycle, questioning whether VP life ever actually gets easier, real estate's hidden perks, gambling spirals, and the eternal tug of war between ambition and sanity.

Also just want to let you know we have a Financial Modeling & Valuation Bootcamp coming up on April 12-13. It's a 2-day intensive bootcamp that covers all the essentials and is led by an industry pro. It might be helpful if you're looking to level up your finance career. Seats are limited.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. ‘26 Recruiting Experience (Offers From MF PE, EB, and HF) - "Now that 2026 summer recruiting has wrapped up, I wanted to take some time to reflect on my journey and write a comprehensive post on what I’ve learned and to help others avoid common pitfalls and navigate the process more effectively. Thankfully, I landed offers that I'm truly grateful for, but the road wasn't always smooth. I’ll break this post down to 3 prongs generally that encompass the recruiting cycle: work experience, networking, and interview preparation..."

  2. Why Do People Stay/Like Being in RE?- "For some, real estate is simply a more entrepreneurial route. You can realistically do your own real estate deals or open your own real estate shop. You are not going to realistically do your own mergers and acquisitions or start your own investment bank. No one goes into real estate for a fat W2. For others, they're probably a lot like you and me - they initially wanted a "high finance" job but didn't have the grades or pedigree for Wall Street. Commercial real estate is far more accessible but in a way that doesn't diminish your success. You can still be the fancy businessman you dreamt about as a kid and the career path is still obscure enough that the people back home won't have any idea what you do..."

  3. Turnaround Consulting Is Paradise - "You hop on a call you were invited to 10 minutes ago without any context. 4 people you've never seen before arrive. "Thanks for helping us with this, go ahead and present" one of them says. You have no idea what this meeting is about. You tell them "it's a big file and will take a minute to open" while you frantically text your MD "what is this call for?". He responds "cover for me, I can't make it." You finally get him to tell you that this is the procurement team, and you need to walk them through a new initiative he built. The call goes well - they're now all afraid of getting fired if they can't hit the targets you presented...."

Free Virtual MBA Fair | Wednesday, April 9th

Attention LGBTQ+ community and allies! Meet top business schools, get a free resume review, ask your questions, and build your network @ The MBA Tour Spotlight on LGBTQ+ Candidates. Sign up for free!

Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. Gambling Ruined My Life - "One thing lead to another, and, I continuously started making larger bets and chasing my losses. I previously interned and was able to make a decent amount from there, but was gambling the entire time. Back in February, I had about 20k saved due to me being able to control myself, and even paid off recent debt that was incurred from gambling. Fast forward to today, where yesterday I lost $19k in one day, I am now $27K in debt, mostly on my L.O.C.. Now I pay for school myself and anxiety has taken over. From my SA, ill make about ~24k CAD, which i anticipate i can save 90% of it, and i will find a way to make it through the school year with OSAP, etc..."

  2. It’s Over - "That’s it’s. I can’t do it I’m failing miserably and spiraling. I have 3 babies at home, a +3hr commute into work, I own 3 rental properties 4 hours away. And I am a genius so I decided to buy a business with 4 employees that makes not great money for the additional stress. I brought this on myself slowly over the last 5 years like the frog dying from the heat turning up. On top of that my area is so HCOL I can’t even afford to buy a house. It’s so frustrating to work so hard for this. And on top of it I am actually considering buying another business this one the owner is selling for less than 1 year income (not suss at all) My own worst enemy. I’m close to breaking honestly."

  3. Are VP Hours in Banking Really More Chill? - "A) Every bank and every team is different (some VP might have a chill workload vs other who are still grinding with the analysts and associates), B) the work might change but so does the responsibilities and in turn the stress increases. You might not be in the weeds of a model but you are still responsible for other stuff which takes up your time (plus you are usually in charge of the younger team members). I would say the hours are usually the same with some outliers. There is no such things as "Hey I made VP that means my hours are now chill". You just now can start delegating (which doesn't really help the team and more often than not just adds more to the hours/stress)."

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • NYU to Economic Consultant at AlixPartners | Chat with Timothy Owen

  • Colby to Investment Banking at Bank of America | Chat with Ryan Stewart

  • Villanova to Evercore IB | Chat with Madhav Lopez | WSO Academy

Hot Jobs 💼

Senior Technology Equity Analyst - "This role is ideal for a driven professional with expertise in the technology industry, specifically AI and Crypto. We are seeking someone who thrives in a dynamic environment and is eager to contribute beyond a single role or task..."

Equity Research Analyst - "Buy-side research analyst opportunity with a family office. The analyst will work with the direct investment team and report to the Portfolio Manager. The team employs a fundamentally driven investment process and an owner’s mentality...."

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!


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