Career advice IBD or MQF or ?
Hi, I occasionally end up on this forum reading stories of people quitting IBD and how they managed to do something interesting after it. Since this is happening to me more often than not (and I am getting scared of it) I decided to write a post hoping in some advices and opinions.
I hold a Msc Finance and started my career few years ago in S&T and spent a while doing it; back then I had to leave the firm and got a chance to start later on in IBD. I am now based in London working for a well known bank, in IBD. I have mixed feelings about what I do. I can't understand if this specific job could still be interesting in - let's say - 10 years time and as many others, I am just physically and mentally tired.
I liked S&T a lot and I hoped for my career to be a FX or a swaps trader. As time passes I see my "dream job" just as far away as the illusion of water in a desert and in the past I even started to repress my thoughts about it not to suffer too much. Over the past few weeks I found myself spending some time trying to understand if I should change my life and if yes, what to do next.
Unlike many people quitting finance because they discovered they never liked it much, I do. So definitely quitting wouldn't necessary leave me better of, if not because of getting my life back again, but still looking into another finance-related job. Recently, the idea of getting back to uni in sep'15 studying quant finance for 1 year hit me (I just turned 27 and already studied for 5yrs bsc + msc); this could help me getting a better job in terms of what I do (I like using my brain...), and if not in a trading position than maybe in something more interesting then the typical IBD FO "ms office shit".
Should this be the option I would have to leave London because there is no way I could afford 1y off work while paying expenses plus a £20k Msc. I would rather check out other courses around Europe with good MQF tracks like in the Netherlands. Sure thing is that I will never be a quant as I miss the skills for being one and this would not be the main reason for me for doing it. I would do it just to seek "re-qualification".
I would just like to get back to global markets and I am thinking of a smart way to achieve this, if possible at all. What do you think? There are so many variables that come into play. GM and especially FICC is a shrinking business and the above explained route would surely be a risky one (leaving London/spending savings/getting older/no work/ etc...).
Is it worth the gamble/investment? Should I try to make the move by keeping my work instead? By networking? Should I just forget about it and try to find a more interesting role within IBD? Also, I am also not too far way from turning into a associate and ideally my life should turn a *bit* better within the next year. At the same time I really found myself not being greedy at all and not caring too much about working in London or being the 30 y-o VP at GS.
Should I just shut up?
Thanks.