Want to Work at Goldman Sachs? Here Are the Degrees You’ll Need.

Do you see yourself working at a prestigious financial firm on Wall Street? Are you cut out for a job in an environment that has been described as collaborative yet competitive, professional yet intense?

Then look no further than Goldman Sachs, one of the globe’s top financial services companies. The firm provides benefits such as medical insurance, retirement plans and financial counseling services, a workplace ergonomics program, on-site fitness and health centers in certain locations, and a special investment program offering Goldman Sachs funds to eligible employees who are qualified investors. Training opportunities are also available in the form of orientation programs for new hires, skills-based courses for junior employees, and leadership development programs for senior employees.

Additionally, the organization is committed to diversity with programs such as the Black Analyst and Associate Initiative, the Hispanic Analyst Initiative, and the Women’s Career Strategies Initiative. Goldman Sachs’ various affinity networks and interest forums—Asian Professionals Network, Disability Interest Forum, LGBT Network, Veterans Network, and Working Parent Forum, among others—serve as spaces to share concerns and feedback and identify opportunities for professional development and advancement.

This makes it no surprise that Goldman Sachs snagged spots on the 2019 list of Fortune’s 100 best companies to work for and LinkedIn’s top U.S. companies to work for. Similarly, business students in the U.S. ranked Goldman Sachs as the fifth most attractive employer based on Universum’s 2019 rankings.

Are you thinking of investing in a career at a world-leading financial services firm? Read on to learn more about the degrees you’ll need to score a job at Goldman Sachs, as well as advice to boost your chances of getting into the company.

Taking stock of Goldman Sachs’ century-old history

Founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman, the 150-year-old company started as a small business buying and selling promissory notes. Goldman later took on his son-in-law Samuel Sachs as partner and renamed the firm M. Goldman & Sachs. Today, Goldman Sachs is a global leader in investment banking, securities, and investment management, providing financial services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals.

Goldman Sachs has more than 37,000 employees around the world, including in its headquarters in New York and offices in the major financial centers of Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Poland, the U.K., and the U.S., among other locations. The firm reported over $8 billion in net revenue in October 2019.

A look at the biggest investment in Goldman Sachs’ portfolio

Goldmanites—an informal term for Goldman Sachs employees—make up teams in consumer and investment management, global compliance, investment banking, merchant banking, realty management, and securities sales and trading, among others. Based on data from Glassdoor, the organization’s employees are well-compensated, especially those in associate roles, having salaries in line with firms like McKinsey & Company and tech giants such as Apple and Google.

Some of the highest-paid roles at Goldman Sachs include the following, listed by average base pay:

• Intermediate finance associate: $249,846
• Intermediate research associate: $206,265
• Intermediate associate: $187,270
• Project manager: $159,626
• Senior software engineer: $151,312
• Sales associate: $145,556
• Investment banking associate: $138,763
• Trading associate: $133,251
• Research associate: $129,577
• Senior technology analyst: $128,543

The firm abides by certain principles, which include prioritizing clients’ interests, achieving excellence in the quality of work, using creativity and imagination to formulate solutions, employing teamwork to get the best results, and putting honesty and integrity at the heart of the business.

The degrees you’ll need to get a job at Goldman Sachs

Exploring the Goldman Sachs careers site uncovers hundreds of job listings in the areas of engineering, global investment research, and risk management, among others.

Engineering jobs at Goldman Sachs.

In the engineering realm, positions are available for front-end developers, back-end developers, DevOps engineers, senior software engineers, data engineers, security analytics engineers, Android developers, and iOS developers. These roles entail designing and building scalable software and systems, developing applications capable of processing large data sets, and guarding against cyber threats.

Earning a degree in computer science, information technology, or a related technical discipline is essential for success in the role.

Global investment research jobs at Goldman Sachs.

In the global investment research space, Goldman Sachs is looking for business analysts, biotech analysts, biopharma analysts, and economists. You’ll use your expertise to analyze market fundamentals, identify opportunities and make recommendations for investment, and formulate financial forecasts.

A degree in economics or finance will equip you with the necessary skills for the job. For those aiming to be biotech or biopharma analysts, an advanced life sciences degree is required.

Risk management jobs at Goldman Sachs.

When it comes to risk management, Goldman Sachs has roles for analysts and associates. You’ll put processes in place to identify, evaluate, and monitor risks, contribute to improving risk management programs, and coordinate with other business units to manage risks.

To do the job, you’ll need a degree in accounting, business, finance, or management.

Other ways to be part of Goldman Sachs

The firm offers a range of student programs to choose from. Undergrads can opt for summer analyst internships, overseas internship programs, and exploratory programs that provide technical and soft skills training, group projects, and networking opportunities with Goldmanites, including the Pride summit, undergraduate camp, women’s leadership camp, engineering essentials program, and diverse abilities event.

Those working toward an advanced degree such as law or medicine can participate in the summer associate program, while MBA students can apply for an MBA fellowship or join the MBA women’s summit or MBA diversity symposium. Recent graduates can apply for the new analyst program or new associate program. Goldman Sachs also piloted its neurodiversity hiring initiative, an eight-week paid internship program for people who hold a bachelor’s degree and identify as neurodiverse.

For experienced professionals, Goldman Sachs has a career pivot series to assist those changing professions and a returnship program to help those restarting their careers after an extended absence from work.

Tips for landing a job at Goldman Sachs

In an interview with CNBC, Dane Holmes, head of human capital management, shared some tips on how to get a job at Goldman Sachs, such as emphasizing any quirky hobbies or traits that make you unique and interesting and talking about your previous failures and how you learned from them.

The firm also wants candidates to demonstrate grit on their resumes. To do so, applicants can highlight anything that shows the pursuit of their passions (an odd combination of a double-major, for instance), as well as any jobs or community service they did while in school.

Finally, don’t be afraid to show emotion, and come as your honest and authentic self during the interview. “When we are going to put you in a very demanding, high-expectation job, it’s better to understand what motivates you and what drives you,” Holmes said.

(Last Updated on February 26, 2024)

Questions or feedback? Email editor@noodle.com