WSO Weekly Wrap-up

October 18, 2025

Hey WSO Monkey,

A good mix of reflection and advice on the forums this week. One PE veteran shared 10 lessons from a decade in the industry, while others weighed in on everything from burnout and overachievement to gratitude and preparation. We also talked about making coffee chats less painful. Worth a scroll when things slow down for you.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. 10 Years. 10 Hard-Earned Lessons in PE - "Don’t allow PE to be your main thing. (This is advice for juniors who don't have a family yet.) I certainly made the mistake of over-indexing my life and identity to something that was probably not worth it in the grand scheme of things. Just to remind you, you never get your youth back. Something I always glanced over, but age makes you realize this stuff. Be gregarious and enjoy life while you can..."

  2. Kids These Days Need to Chill Out - "It's natural to say this is insane, and to tell college students to stop, but it's another thing to actually change the culture of competition placed into high achieving kids since the day they entered HS(Or earlier). Gotta remember, most students at top schools nowadays have 10x the achievements their parents might have had. So these kids are hyper competitive, and everyone else around them is also competitive asf. So, what happens? They feel like they have to do more and more and more every single year, and with the labor market being as piss poor as it is this only reinforces the idea for young people that they need to be absolutely perfect."

  3. Feeling So Grateful to Have an Offer - "Incoming sa26 in mm cb and honestly so grateful to have an offer in this market. i go to a high semi-target but am not in the business program, in a finance club, or even have had any finance internships. so grateful that this firm is taking a chance on me..."

DFIN’s Venue VDR: Built for Career-Making Deals

When navigating critical business transactions, speed, security, and control aren’t optional - they’re everything. That’s why DFIN rebuilt the Venue® virtual data room, to be the most modern VDR in the market, engineered to lead the industry in speed and simplicity for dealmakers who operate at the highest level.

From M&A to IPOs and all critical transactions in between, Venue was built for ease of use with an intuitive user interface and clean navigation, enabling users to self-launch new data rooms and manage multiple data rooms on demand.

Backed by DFIN’s 30+ years of financial industry expertise and 24/7 expert support, Venue isn’t just a platform - it’s your strategic advantage when the stakes are highest.

If you’re ready to accelerate deal execution, own the room with the reimagined Venue.

Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. Most Impressive Person You’ve Encountered? - "I've always found it impressive, without exception, when someone rises to the top after starting from some of the toughest places imaginable. Haven't met him personally, but there was some MD/Partner at a NYC bank (somewhere 2005-2015) from an African country who once gave an interview saying he used to go to school barefoot as a kid, somehow ended up applying to a U.S. university, and the rest was history (think he was at GS, but unsure)...”

  2. How to Make Coffee Chats Enjoyable - "I’d rather talking about other things. Ask me about my experience in college, sports I like to watch, my hobbies, etc. Chill kids get offers."

  3. How Would You Prepare for a Recession if You Knew It Was Coming? - "Hold cash? Especially if you're young. Sell Magnificent 7 stock while they're high and prep to buy equities in companies that actually have sensible multiples with the proceeds. "Surviving" a crash is easy. It's positioning yourself to take advantage of the turmoil that is difficult..."

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • Boston College to Strategic Advisory | Chat with Rohan Ramesh | WSO Academy

  • Colby to Associate in Consulting at BCG | Chat with Luis | WSO Academy

Hot Jobs 💼

Experienced Analyst - "As an Investment Banking Analyst, you’ll work alongside senior-level management and play an integral role in supporting the full lifecycle of transactions. You will be challenged in a fast-paced environment by managing competing priorities and demonstrating initiative. Our culture is focused on creating “entrepreneurial bankers” and we strive to facilitate an environment that fosters professional and personal growth while leading with integrity..."

Finance Expert - "Mercor is hiring seasoned Finance professionals to join an exciting collaboration with a top AI research lab. The role involves contributing to the development and evaluation of advanced AI systems built to mimic real-world workflows across Investment Banking, Private Equity, Asset Management, and Equity Research. You'll help train, test, and calibrate AI agents on complex financial tasks derived from M&A, IPOs, debt offerings, equity research, pitchbook development, and more..."

General Finance Expert - "This role involves contributing to the development and evaluation of advanced AI systems designed to replicate real-world workflows across Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Strategic Finance, Corporate Finance, Treasury, and Budgeting & Forecasting..."

Investment Services Expert - "This role involves contributing to the development and evaluation of advanced AI systems designed to replicate real-world workflows across investment banking, private equity, asset management, and equity research..."

WSO Mentor - "Are you an experienced professional with a background in investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, S&T, venture capital, asset management, equity research, quant finance, corporate dev, real estate finance, or top-tier consulting? Passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders? Wall Street Oasis (WSO) is expanding its Mentorship Program, and we're looking for outstanding professionals to join our mentor roster—an elite network supporting students and young professionals as they prepare for high-stakes careers. Whether you’re looking to give back, stay connected to rising talent, or sharpen your coaching skills, this role offers you the chance to make a meaningful impact, remotely and on your schedule..."

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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