Investment Banking
Helping companies raise money and buy or merge with other companies. BLS counts investment bankers with securities and financial sales agents; you need a bachelor's degree and, at a firm, FINRA licenses.
Quick take Earn a bachelor's, win a junior-year summer internship, then join a bank as an analyst; the firm sponsors your FINRA exams. BLS groups bankers with securities sales agents (median $78,660, May 2025), so that figure is a poor guide to bank pay.
Hidden challenge Analyst years routinely mean very long weeks, and recruiting starts so early that sophomore-year networking can decide your path.
BLS · May 2025
- Data
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- Checked
- 9 Oct 2026
Pay is in U.S. dollars per year, before tax.
Where it leads
Jobs and median pay
- Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents+1% outlook · Bachelor's degree$78,660
- Financial analysts+7% outlook · Bachelor's degree$103,570
- Financial managers+10% outlook · Bachelor's degree$166,570
BLS OOH
- Pay
- May 2025
- Outlook
- 2025–35
BLS has no separate investment banker occupation: investment bankers are counted with securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents (SOC 41-3031), so pay and outlook describe that whole group. FINRA licenses such as the Series 79 need a sponsoring firm.
Typical majors
Finance · Economics · Accounting · Business administration · Mathematics or statistics
Why demand is changing
BLS expects services that investment bankers provide, such as IPOs and mergers and acquisitions, to stay in demand as the economy grows, while automated trading has reduced demand for securities traders.
Pay
Pay depends on experience, employer and place. The middle of the bar is where most workers sit.
Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents · United States
Annual wages, May 2025BLS OEWS · May 2025
- Area
- National
- Period
- May 2025
- SOC
- 41-3031
- Lowest 10% below
- $48,040
- 25th percentile
- $56,540
- Median
- $78,660
- 75th percentile
- $129,950
- Top 10% above
- $212,880
How to get there
A typical route. Many people reach the same job in different ways.
- High schoolDiploma + math
Calculus, statistics and economics.
- CollegeBachelor's degree
Business, finance or economics; internships count a lot.
- ExamSIE exam
Open to anyone 18 or older, no firm needed; a pass lasts four years.
- LicenseSeries 79
Investment banking exam; you need a sponsoring FINRA member firm.
- GoalDeals and growth
IPOs, mergers and acquisitions; an MBA may help you advance.
Route 1: Degree → SIE → hired → Series 79 · Route 2: Degree → SIE → hired → Series 7 · Route 3: MBA for advancement
In high school4 things to focus on
- Calculus and statistics
- Economics
- Accounting or business courses where offered
- Writing and public speaking — you will present to clients
In collegeWhat you study
Corporate finance, accounting, economics, statistics, financial modeling and valuation, plus business law and communication.
Costs and financial aid →Stand out3 tips from Education Margdarshan
- Apply for summer internships early in college: BLS says employers may prefer to hire former interns.
- You can take the SIE exam before you have a job — FINRA lets anyone 18 or older sit it, and a pass stays valid for four years.
- Don't pay for the Series 79 on your own: it needs a sponsoring firm, so employers arrange it after hiring.
- Paying for it
- File the FAFSA (opens by October 1) for grants, work-study and federal loans; a Pell Grant pays up to $7,395 a year (2026–27). Average public four-year tuition and fees: $11,950 in-state vs $31,880 out-of-state (2025–26). Residency rules and regional discounts · Save with 2+2 transfer
- Your state
-
StateChoose a state
- AlabamaState guide
- AlaskaState guide
- ArizonaState guide
- ArkansasState guide
- CaliforniaState guide
- ColoradoState guide
- ConnecticutState guide
- DelawareState guide
- District of ColumbiaState guide
- FloridaState guide
- GeorgiaState guide
- HawaiiState guide
- IdahoState guide
- IllinoisState guide
- IndianaState guide
- IowaState guide
- KansasState guide
- KentuckyState guide
- LouisianaState guide
- MaineState guide
- MarylandState guide
- MassachusettsState guide
- MichiganState guide
- MinnesotaState guide
- MississippiState guide
- MissouriState guide
- MontanaState guide
- NebraskaState guide
- NevadaState guide
- New HampshireState guide
- New JerseyState guide
- New MexicoState guide
- New YorkState guide
- North CarolinaState guide
- North DakotaState guide
- OhioState guide
- OklahomaState guide
- OregonState guide
- PennsylvaniaState guide
- Rhode IslandState guide
- South CarolinaState guide
- South DakotaState guide
- TennesseeState guide
- TexasState guide
- UtahState guide
- VermontState guide
- VirginiaState guide
- WashingtonState guide
- West VirginiaState guide
- WisconsinState guide
- WyomingState guide
Reality check
BLS
- Checked
- 7 Oct 2026
BLS
- Checked
- 7 Oct 2026
FINRA
- Checked
- 20 Oct 2026
What the work is like
Most work full time, and some work more than 40 hours a week.
Common tasks
- Make bids or offers to buy or sell securities.
- Monitor markets or positions.
- Agree on buying or selling prices at optimal levels for clients.
What workers report
Tools on the job
Microsoft Excel · Salesforce software · Microsoft Access · SAP software
Suits people who are
Enterprising, Conventional (Holland codes). Qualities BLS lists: analytical skills, customer-service skills, decision-making skills, detail oriented, initiative, math skills.
O*NET 41-3031.00
- Code
- 41-3031.00
- Checked
- 9 Oct 2026
Questions
Studying from outside the U.S.? Education and immigration are separate routes — see the international student guide.
Related pathways
Local hub: Investment banking in New York City