Who wants to be a banker? A qualitative study of how internship experiences in investment banking influence individuals' interest in pursuing a career within the industry

Abstract: Through a qualitative and interpretive study, this thesis aims to investigate how internship experience within investment banking influences the interest of former interns in pursuing a career in the industry. The study has been conducted by interviewing 19 students and graduates from the Stockholm School of Economics. The Expectancy-value model of achievement-related choice is used in combination with identity construction theories to analyze how the individuals' subjective internship experiences and identity influence their interest to enter the industry. The findings of this study suggest that the internship experience resulted in a decrease in women's interest in pursuing a career within investment banking, in contrast to the men, who continued to aspire to the profession. These differences were found to be related to a greater tendency to reflexivity in the women, which were prompted by the strenuous working conditions, in contrast to men who did not show similar reflexivity. This study aims to contribute to previous research on how an internship influence students' career aspirations by capturing sector-specific aspects of the investment banking industry.