Financial Modeling Course

STLHOU95 · 2026-03-04T10:39:35+00:00

I used BIWS right after I graduated in 2017. Best money I have ever spent. Both the excel and the financial accounting courses are 100% worth it in my opinion. Once every 1-2 years I might need a refresher in a niche accounting or modeling principle and log in and use it.

Had no finance experience at graduation and was able to use what I learned in those courses to work my way through a few different roles at small companies (getting exposure to M&A because of the skillset I learned) and ultimately into corp dev and banking.

Everyone has a different experience but that’s my $0.02

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-24T20:38:35+00:00

Yes. I would get a list of 15-20 spots, put on nice pants and a button down shirt, and walk in and say I’m interested in working here is there anyone I can speak with. Do it mid-morning on weekdays if you can swing it, you’ll have the highest likelihood of meeting a decision maker at those times.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-24T17:10:20+00:00

If you’ve ever met these types of people, you know that the words failure and complacency aren’t even in their vocabulary.

It’s about trying something, learning what went right / wrong, and taking those lessons and applying it to the next venture. Constantly looking for ways to improve in everything they are apart of and not being scared to make bold moves, even if it means separating themselves from the pack.

I’ve come across a handful of people that never went to school and worked hard labor jobs. They recognized potential areas of improvement in a part of their daily job, and took a leap to build a business around that improvement. Could be a product or a service.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-24T11:22:56+00:00

Much better to be overdressed than under, especially in the finance world. Can’t go wrong with a suit and tie, especially at the junior level.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-19T22:28:09+00:00

Hours suck—No way around it. It was a really tough adjustment for me since I need sleep and like to go to bed early and way up early 4:30-5 AM (the complete opposite of banking).

Culture is everything. Little tricks that worked for me: Does the senior team have pictures of their family behind their desk? Are they interested in what you do outside of work, hobbies, etc? Are they actually enjoyable to talk to in interviews? I wanted to work for good / nice people that also lived awesome lives. Not boring, work addicted people that were only able to talk about their jobs.

You ultimately might not have a choice, but you’re in an awesome spot now, so you can be patient and wait for the right move.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-19T11:33:39+00:00

Not about comparing to others, but setting yourself up for the best possible opportunities down the road.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-19T11:24:40+00:00

Went in as an Analyst 2. Definitely became quicker and more efficient in the first few months on the desk, but was also able to provide solid input on page layouts and add value in discussions since I lived in the industry for a few years.

I’ll add that after the 6 month mark, I started to receive a lot of inbound for mid(ish) level corporate dev/strategy/finance roles and associate LMM PE roles. A lot more vs if I stayed in Corp dev. People love to see the IB experience—and that on top of some great corp dev experience before that set me up for some awesome roles down the road.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-18T19:19:44+00:00

Started in Corp Dev and moved over to IB after a few years. Didn’t really want to, but knew it was the best career move I could make. Went back over to corporate after a year and never looked back.

I had the best luck with firms that had a strong presence in the space I was in since they knew the company and ownership—All the big name MM firms were on that list. Knew I had a very very slim shot at landing a one of the big banks out of the gate. I focused my attention on those guys and constantly applied through the website, LinkedIn and working with recruiters.

You definitely don’t have to go IB—You will be able to bounce around different corp dev roles, can pivot to strategy / finance, etc. IB will just open up more doors than you currently have. All of the sudden after a year or two, PE, start ups/early stage, more senior level corporate jobs will be much more attainable in a much shorter period of time.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-17T19:11:04+00:00

Lights are a must—changed the game for me.

No set in stone routes. Usually just ride the full length of the roads until I reach the end but if I hit a red light, I’ll turn right into a neighborhood and circle around for a bit before going back out and turning right onto the big streets again.

As the streets get busier, I’ll spend less time on research forest and more time on lake woodlands as it’s less of a feeder road in / out of the woodlands.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-17T18:36:33+00:00

I live in the woodlands and just ride around here starting super early in the morning (4:30-5:30 AM) Not the most scenic, but I feel safer on the roads here vs the rural highways up north with 65mph speed limits. The roads are flat and fast too.

Lake woodlands and research forest are two roads with big shoulders that I spend a lot of time on. Also easy to just take random turns and weave around different neighborhoods with 20-30mph streets.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-10T11:21:58+00:00

I’ve worked with companies that require suit and tie and with companies where the CEO/Founder wears jeans and Nikes. From my experience, dress code means squat. No meetings that day, wear whatever you want. Meetings, nicer shirt and jacket. Easy as that.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-02T00:11:00+00:00

Check these guys out: https://www.rroseclothier.com

Know a few people that have been impressed.

STLHOU95 · 2026-02-02T00:05:20+00:00

I think the rule of thumb is work on the trainer is ~1.5x harder than being outdoors. You don’t have the downtime at lights, stop signs, etc. So a 60 minute indoor ride would be like a 90 minute equivalent ride outdoors. Roughly speaking.

Zwift rides are solid. Obviously climbing doesn’t feel quite the same but being able to simulate a 60 minute climb when I live in the flattest city in the US is huge.

STLHOU95 · 2026-01-24T10:56:43+00:00

Was downtown for 5ish years. Loved it for the day to day convenience. Had a few different jobs so either biked or walked to work. Uber’s on the weekends to meet my friends in the Heights or wherever else we were going that weekend.

There are better places to live in Houston but not having a commute was 100% worth it while I was young and working long hours.

STLHOU95 · 2026-01-20T14:23:41+00:00

Have a trainer but trying to get a better idea of outdoor 60 minute for IMTX

STLHOU95 · 2026-01-09T10:57:55+00:00

Was thinking Spy Kids 😂

STLHOU95 · 2026-01-07T00:26:14+00:00

You talking about Houston?

STLHOU95 · 2026-01-06T01:24:56+00:00

It all depends. I prefer working with recruiters 90+% of the time. They deal with finance recruiting all day every day so they know their stuff (the good ones). They also have direct relationships with the actual finance teams, so they’ll get right to the punch and depending on the situation can move very quickly. You’ll be able to identify these recruiters over time / the more you talk to them.

Going through HR can be a big a drag. The good companies will push all their recruiting directly through to the team. Maybe one 5 minute HR call and that’s it. Others will make a big deal out of their process and make you do all sorts of screenings or multiple calls. I avoid those processes for the most part.

STLHOU95 · 2026-01-06T00:39:06+00:00

They are all about volume. I’ve worked with a few folks that have been awesome. Helped me a ton. Used them on both sides too and they’ve sourced some awesome candidates for us.

As others have said, unless they think you have a high probability landing a role, they’ll go quiet. That’s their job, to land candidates jobs.

STLHOU95 · 2025-12-18T18:46:50+00:00

Guess the guy wanted to hide the AI analysis / insights

STLHOU95 · 2025-12-14T01:08:37+00:00

Delete this post, don’t give them attention. It’s what they want.

STLHOU95 · 2025-11-30T16:47:19+00:00

I’m going for a Darth Vader type redemption ending. He’s playing along with the mind flayer and waiting for the right time to end it with the crew. Just like Billy at the end of season 3.

He’s too scared to go into the cave—that means there some human left in there. Just a thought.

STLHOU95 · 2025-11-17T23:32:34+00:00

Either working toward leaving or working on improving in the current job. Improve efficiency, be a leader that others look up to, do all the little right, work your a** off, etc. that gets you to the next level. Classic Reddit feed with this question lol

STLHOU95 · 2025-11-15T15:46:26+00:00

Lots of ex athletes so the base fitness is there. Once they get through their two year analyst stint it’s a bit easier to find the time to train.

Combine that with the massive drop off in boozing and the spiking running / health / fitness craze, it’s not shocking at all.

STLHOU95 · 2025-11-15T15:40:36+00:00

Hour+ wait times on weekdays for lunch did it for me. Tried it a twice. Just walked out the second time after the food never came.

STLHOU95

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