Cold Feet

I'm older than most people here and I don't look back at 22-25 at all. Just don't get married at 27 and you'll have plenty of time and money to enjoy your youth. Sick it up and go set your career on solid footing.

First off - congrats on landing those offers. And don't think you're the only one with those sentiments. I'm pretty sure every person who's received a full-time offer for banking has had mixed feelings signing the dotted lines knowing what's in store over the next 2-3 years.

Just know that you'll still have time to enjoy your early 20's while in banking, albeit not as much as your buddies with "normal" jobs. 100 hrs / week isn't the norm, at least at most places. You're looking more at 70-80 / week on avg, with certain weeks getting completely screwed out of nowhere. Key thing that you'll have to get used to is the sheer unpredictability of the job. No more planning ski trips one month in advance. Or if you do, be mentally prepared to cancel that trip the week of for an IPO bakeoff that probably won't actually launch for another two years.

At the end of the day, if you absolutely end up hating and regretting banking, two years in your early 20's isn't nearly as big of a deal as you think, especially as a guy. You're not really in your "prime" until you hit your mid to late 20's anyways, assuming you take decent care of yourself.

Walk away and do what? What are your alternatives at this point? I cannot think of a single entry level job that pays as well and prepares you for such a broad opportunity set. Even if you can suck it up for a year you will be better positioned than the majority of your peers. Explain to your parents that it IS an investment in yourself and your career. Also, I appreciate the fact that it is important to consider the opinions of those you care about but do not let anyone (parents, friends, etc.) dictate (explicitly or inadvertently) the path you choose.

I'm in a similar situation to you. I'm not in the US, but I've done an IBD and PE internship at top shops in my country. And I'm proud to say that I will not be going back to the finance industry post graduation.

During that IBD stint, I was just miserable 24/7. Wake up, work, sleep, repeat x 16 weeks. PE was marginally better, but you're still staring at that excel sheet for 60 hours a week. To me, it doesn't make sense. Personally, it is not worth it to sacrifice your soul for 2 years to land a better job where I still won't be happy. After doing these two internships, I realized that I'm just not that interested in the financial markets. I got sucked into the IBD hype.

All that said, I'll be the first to agree that IBD is the best post-graduate career launchpad. You get paid awesomely, and develop real skills. I'm not talking about excel, more like work ethic, time management, perseverance, attention to detail etc. You will come out of IBD a polished individual. If you can get through those 2 years, absolutely do it, hands down. But if it's gonna cost you your soul, that's a different story.

I have about 8 months to graduate and I do think about whether this is the right decision, every day. From the outside, everyone thinks I'm crazy and I'm giving everything away. However, I've lived IBD, I've lived PE and I can safely say that is not the life I want for myself.

You need to stop seeking approval from your parents, I remember when I did, it made life much easier. Ultimately this is going to open up more doors and put your salary negotiations many years ahead of your peers when you get out. You're freaking out because it's the biggest (and possibly first) important commitment you've ever made. I assure you, reneging and taking a job paying 55k/yr with a less than stellar (by comparison) career trajectory, isn't going to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Grow up and get it done.

First off, congrats on the offers. Most people hope they can snag one.

Second, relative to those who are unemployed and trying to break in, you're in a great spot. I'm actually quite surprised there hasn't been any troll posts above.

Good luck and let us know when you make your decision.

Congrats on the offer.The cheesiest thing I can say is follow your heart, but it's probably the only right thing to do. Don't listen to your parents or the other monkeys. Only you know what is right. Good luck!

Removed - not called for.

You have some real tough problems. I bet your wallet is too small for your $50s and your diamond shoes are too tight.

Seriously though, to get all those offers you must have done some decent internships, how did you feel during that time? That might give you an idea of how you will feel doing your analyst stint.

I think getting some level of cold feet before starting any job is natural. Getting used to a new environment, new responsibilities, not having any routine... it's exhausting at first and as intellectually stimulating as we all want our jobs to be, it's nice to not perpetually be out of your comfort zone.

But not making that move is the fastest way to stop your career dead in its tracks and end up with regrets down the line. If you can't overcome your reticence today, what's going to happen with you have to take a far more daunting plunge when it comes to joining a startup, investing in a venture, moving up the responsibility chain or just plain switching jobs? All that takes balls and this is an important step towards growing them.

Did you intern in banking before? Did you genuinely like it? The answer is already in your gut/heart. You are either getting old feet because you didn't 'actually 'want this' or because of the normal human blues. I recommend you take time and actually think it through.

Sounds like you need to evaluate what your end goal is for making you initially aspire after the IB roles you have just recieved offers for. If your goal requires you to put in a couple of hard years and you want it bad enough, then SAC up and proceed. If your end goal is not worth the dedication and sacrifice, then SAC up and decline the offers. It sounds like you are entering IB as a means to an end, all rewards come with a corresponding sacrifice of equal value. The question you need to ask yourself is, "Am I willing to pay the price?"

To add my piece: just try it. You clearly wanted it for a reason. If it's terrible and you can't handle it, although people talk about how it's horrible to quit early and looks bad on your resume etc, I'm almost certain that you'll be able to get the other kinds of jobs you may do (if you're talking about 9-5 sort of jobs) after 3-6 months of IB if you only stay that long.

Try it, stick it out if you can. If it really sucks the soul out of your life as you claim, move on.

Finally, and this is an important one - I think (for me personally) working hard and enjoying myself on weekends etc with a good amount of money whenever I get the chance beats working 40-50 hours a week, having lots of spare time (that most people waste on fb/watching tv etc anyway) and much less money now (and likely forever) hands down. People overestimate the benefits of having additional spare time and much less money in their early 20s - trust me, you will enjoy your later 20s and the rest of your life much more (most likely) in many ways (career, money etc) than you will enjoy having some extra time and less money for those 2 years

I also hope this is for FT. If you're talking about an internship at all, 100% take it and see what happens - no-brainer in that scenario.

It's good to have these thoughts before diving into your career. I will say this, investment banking is one of the best places to be in especially if you don't know what you want to do after. Like many people have said before, it opens a lot of doors, and it gives you invaluable training and experience.

I would submit another point: you will make friends for life at these banks. It won't just be you working 100 hour weeks, but your entire class, your rank, your junior bankers. I might have left my old firm, but they are still my closest friends. And as you succeed together, you'll help each other rise in your careers (and not just in finance).

Take the plunge dude. The ocean might seem scary at first, but after you've swam out there, no swimming pool will ever be able to satisfy you.

There's not going to be a middle class in twenty years, get on the winning team :)

1. Man up
2. Accept offer
3. ????
4. PROFIT!!!

Sounds like you have good parents. Any good parents would be concerned. Not that their views are necessarily correct, but they are not blindly encouraging you, and that's a good thing.

Congrats on the offers.

I am just offering my opinion. There is no such thing as a perfect job. Even if you started out in something you like, there is no guarantee that you will enjoy doing it forever. On the contrary, you probably got into an industry where the only upside is compensation but gradually grow to like what you do.

If you are interested in finance and doing related works, I would say that IB is a good place to start. Other than the long hours, you do get to learn things about different companies and industries. It doesn't have to be about money. The experience is way more valuable.

I feel like the OP is trolling everyone. Otherwise why come to a site where damn near everyone is jonesing for a shot at what he has just to post that he doesn't want them because he feels old at 21?

It's very normal. Going into banking means giving yourself completely a full 110% (that extra 10% is a part of you you didnt even realize you had but banking will demand it from you) to your job for 2 years. That is tough as fuck and not fun at all BUT if you can make it through those 2 years life gets better. Big bag of money for someone in his mid-twenties and great exit opps.

So what I'd do in your position is take the job. You've not done all this hard work for nothing right? Just try it and if you really fucking hate it switch to something else before the 2 years end. Also, don't choose the firm based on pay or prestige but pick it based on the people you liked the most. Analysts years suck, but the people you work with can make a massive difference.

Hey everybody,

I want to thank you all for your advice. I have spent a lot of time thinking over the past few days and have decided to accept the full-time offer. I know in my heart that this is the right thing to do. It will be hard but I believe that there is tremendous growth that comes from the struggle. When I am feeling pain at the office late at night I will know that I am becoming stronger relative to my 9-5 peers. These first years are an investment in myself. The work I put in now will pay dividends for the rest of my life. There will be plenty of time to enjoy my twenties.

You all reaffirmed these things for me and I appreciate that.

That being said -I am happy I took these days to reassess the pros and cons of the job. I also believe that it is important to check yourself every once and a while to be sure that you are not drinking the WSO kool-aid and that this is really what you want. This is surely a significant decision and a job that requires all of yourself. The second you begin doubting the reasons you signed up for it your life becomes miserable. You will fail at your job.

There is more to life than work - that I do believe. There will come a time when I choose to walk away from this mess and take time to appreciate the finer things in life but I agree that it is important to achieve a resume to fall back on and some financial stability first.

I am also glad that I took the time to listen to the concerns of my parents. There is a difference between seeking their approval and taking their concerns seriously. I respect the hell out of my parents and understand that they have had far more life experiences than I. Anybody that chooses to ignore the advice of those that arguably know you better than anybody and have seen 2x as much as you is crazy in my book. My parents have provided me more wisdom over the course of my life than I can begin to appreciate.

Thank you again for the heartfelt advice from many of you. I'd like to extend a cordial fuck you to those that were less then helpful.

Here's to the roller coaster that awaits. Thanks WSO.

If you dont want the other offers, Ill take em............