The idea that everyone who breaks into finance did everything by the book - perfect grades, elite schools, early internships at big-name firms - is a myth. It's true for a vanishingly small number of people, but it's instructive to know what "The Path" looks like so that you can orient yourself and best determine your next steps. As management researcher Peter Drucker once said, "You can't manage what you can't measure." Our goal here is to give undergrads a framework for measuring their progress, along with some tips to succeed.