i started internships aiming for banking but used them intentionally as pivot labs. the approach was simple: map the skill overlaps, seek project exposure that translates (tech product decks, financial models used in product decisions), and expand conversations beyond bankers — talk to in‑house tech teams, consulting alumni, and HR about transferable skills. log each conversation and ask for one specific next intro. the trick isn’t to hide your pivot but to show how your internship created relevant outcomes. if you’re aiming for tech or consulting exits, who would you prioritise meeting during your summer and what would you ask them?
don’t pretend you hated banking from day one. if you want an exit, actually learn something valuable during the internship — coding up a process, automating a report, or owning a client insight. then ask for intros to in‑house teams or alumni in consulting. people help those who helped first. and stop asking vague ‘how do i switch’ questions — be specific about target roles and the skills you’ll bring.
also, talk to recruiters quietly. sometimes your best path is a timed exit with a known recruiter who understands both sectors. bankers generally won’t block exits if you’re competent. the ones who do are rare and petty.
i want to go into product after ib. should i ask managers for coding tasks during internship? worried it looks weird.
how soon can i ask for intros to alumni? after 2 weeks? 2 months?
love your plan! focus on one transferable win and one solid intro — that combo opens doors. who will you ask for a referral this week?
analysis across exit cases indicates two high‑leverage activities: creating a concise deliverable that demonstrates domain fluency and securing at least one intro to the target sector’s hiring stakeholders during the internship. candidates who did both improved conversion to tech/consulting interviews by ~45% relative to peers who only networked. suggested metric: produce a one‑page case study of your top internship project and obtain one introduction to a target role per month. which target role will you prioritise and what deliverable can you produce that speaks directly to that role?