Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Managing Partners

You can get an internship. The way to do that is through interviewing and informational interviews. Use your .edu domain to learn about the industry, and genuinely try to learn about it. You don't need to go into it trying to get a job.

This is similar to investing and finding the right opportunities. Having a good pipeline is key, just like in sales, you never want to oversell. The more you're on your heels and have a strong alternative, like going to the beach all summer, the better off you'll be.

The way to get that role isn't necessarily through the front door, especially in this industry. There are very few effective front doors. Companies that apply for grants through a website contact form have a slim chance. You need to already have more introductions.

Come at it from a perspective of curiosity and learning. This will help you make those first connections. The more you ask who else you need to talk to in your area of interest within impact investing, the more you'll find your tribe and the right people.

Once people hear what you're excited about and why you're into it, they'll start to do the work for you. They'll network for you and listen for opportunities, even though they seem scarce. We need good, authentic people in the field.

By "doing the work for you," I mean they'll start networking for you. They'll be listening out for opportunities all the time. It's similar to applying for any job. Don't put yourself in a situation where you're competing with sharks; find a niche where you can be the big fish.

As for entry-level positions for an undergrad, yes. You can be an intern and potentially turn that into an associate-level role. However, in impact investing, these roles are few and far between, though absolutely possible.

I know someone who has done this. Similar to being a writer, one of my friends from undergrad at Berkeley realized that literature was the last field he needed to be in to be a nonfiction writer. Learning the classics and how to write essays wasn't the key.

He realized he needed real-world experience and to do anything else. Great writers are masters of their art, but they also hold a depthful perspective from something else, perhaps deep conversations with friends. My buddy realized he needed to go out and do something.

He hitchhiked to Panama and ran 170 miles in the Himalayas. He came back with different perspectives that helped him write one of my favorite books. Similarly, with investing, you need to get experience in whatever it is you're interested in.

This experience will give you the perspective needed to find the best investments. Perhaps you can even be an entrepreneur. That gives you a great perspective from the other side of the table, though there's a debate about whether entrepreneurs make good investors. I was an entrepreneur first, so I think any experience can help.