Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Strategic Finance Managers At DoorDash
Justine's career path, starting in banking with an investment bank summer analyst internship secured through "a resume drop-off box," illustrates diverse entry routes into finance, contrasting with friends who pursued "summer internships with Girls Who Code," leading to tech roles. The respondent highlights the availability of internships at investment banks, including diversity programs, and on-campus recruiting as viable options for undergraduate students interested in finance, acknowledging that their own path isn't a typical example of entering a tech company's strategic finance department directly from university.
Finance, Banking, Tech, Internships, Networking
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Justine Lee
Manager (Strategy & Finance)
DoorDash
University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, 2016
N/A
Economics
Technology
Finance
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient
Video Highlights
1. Entry-level positions in finance often start with internships at investment banks. Many banks have summer analyst programs, and some offer additional programs targeting diverse groups of students.
2. College recruiting is a key entry point. Many banks visit college campuses to conduct on-campus interviews, and some even have resume drop-off options.
3. Alternative paths exist. There are opportunities outside of traditional banking, such as internships with organizations like Girls Who Code that can lead to tech roles. Networking and exploring diverse programs are important for finding the right fit for your career goals
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
I'm super bad at answering the question that's asked, so I didn't start off in tech. I can speak a little bit to undergraduate opportunities for banking and maybe anecdotes that I've heard of friends who went straight into tech. But I want to preface with this will not necessarily be undergraduate opportunities for strategic finance at a tech company.
I started off my career in banking. Most investment banks have summer analyst internships for undergraduate students. When I was in college, investment banks also had diversity and inclusion programs for Black, Hispanic, and female students, so I'm sure those are still around.
If applicable, students can also look into recruiting options at their school or college. My school, Penn, had on-campus recruiting where interviewers from banks would come on campus to hold in-person interviews. I actually got my internship through a resume drop-off box, which is also another very school-specific, kind of random thing that I found out about, where interviewers could pick from a stack of resumes if they had extra interview slots.
There are things offered by banks, things offered by schools, and little things here and there. There are probably also clubs. That's kind of minor, what I would say if someone wants to go into banking, which I'll talk a little bit more about in later questions.
I also started off in finance and then pivoted to tech, but I know there are people who knew they wanted to be in tech in undergrad and they were able to do that. I have a friend who had a summer internship with Girls Who Code, and that led to an internship at Google or an immersion program at Google, and she's been working at Google since.
So that's my attempt to try to answer the undergrad opportunities question for a finance job in tech. But my experience was kind of the banking route in undergrad.
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