#&*$ I JUST DON'T KNOW
"Study what you're passionate about"
"Do what you love, you will never be able to work long, hard hours in a field you don't like"
"Don't worry about recruiting just yet, you're not a junior yet in college- just enjoy college"
I hear this shit all the time, but it doesn't work for me. It's too trite and said too often. I don't know what I'm passionate about. I don't know what I love to do. I love to hang out, eat, play poker, watch/play sports, sleep, work out, watch movies. Am I just fucking lazy?
Of course I have to worry about recruiting. As a rising sophomore, I only have one summer before the all-so-important summer after junior year and every opportunity I receive needs to be weighed against each other because I just can't do everything. In a school, where every fucking person concentrates on jobs, how can I not become focused on such an endeavor?
I used to think I can do Investment banking. I thought you know, the pay and "exit opps" make up for the hours, the tedious work, the shit life. Do I like finance? Sure. Am I in love with it? Not really. I like econ- I understand it pretty well. I like math- quantitative subjects never worried me. Current events are cool to read up upon, and I like the way the world is becoming increasingly global. But shit man, sitting here at my "finance" internship 830-530 on a computer all fucking day reading up on stuff, browsing the internet, and allowing my lower back to cramp up just does not tickle my fancy. And this isn't even IB hours that I will be sitting at a comp all day.
To be honest though, I think I really want to do management consulting. I've had experience working in groups (and that's something I actually really do love- hashing problems out/brainstorming with different people) and can actually see myself working for MBB. Yes, I know, the chance to work for MBB will be tough, but at least I think I have a shot. To be honest though, if given the chance to IB over second tier consulting even if I like consulting more, I'd take IB in a heartbeat.
What I am getting at here is (sorry for the long/incoherent post) the pay cut worth it? Not talking about the analyst levels... but more about the PE/HF pay vs. moving up the MBB ladder (assuming in a perfect world, where I would be able to work in PE/HF and move up the MBB ladder) and the forgone two-year salary and bonus going for an MBA if I go the consulting route compared to going straight to PE after IB? However, all I hear about in consulting and corporate development is "office politics". Is this really a big deal in upper management? Would I never advance in a corporate setting without playing "office politics"?
I think I can do IB even if I don't like it if it is worth it. And please don't ask me whether my life or money is worth more? I don't mean to sound like a fucking brat/prick but I just don't know what I want. Is this something other people have gone through? I may sound incredibly naive (I most likely am) about these subject matters, but these are huge decisions I will be facing relatively soon and need to know how realize what I want to focus on more. You may say that I should wait until I have actual offers in my hand and that I'm talking out of my ass right now, but I need to shape my experiences (ie. take certain opportunities and chances and forgo others) to cater my ultimate goals in these next two years and time is running out.
HELP! Thanks for reading/skimming/altogether-skipping-everything.
I think a lot of us go through this, search for the thread "What keeps you motivated?" or something like that. It's a good read if you're in the mood you seem to be.
Hey, is there any way I can quickly find the thread instead of going through page by page? Thanks.
How do you stay focused?:
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/how-do-you-stay-focused?quicktabs…
Regards
If you're still undecided (given all that you already know about hours etc.), I don't think you'll be able to determine whether IB is "worth it" until you start interning in the field. Same with consulting - you might end up finding out that you hate traveling to podunk towns, or some other bullshit aspect of the job.
There is a very big difference between liking the idea of doing something, and liking the actual job itself. I understand your desire to optimally position yourself by devoting all your energy to the pursuit of a single career path, but I'm not sure if that will work (or will be necessary) in the long run.
Given that it is much more difficult to get a summer gig at MBB than at a BB, I would aim for a BB summer gig. As chewingum said, you won't know until you've experienced it. I think you should definitely try to land MBB interviews and try to get as far as you can. If you're able to get an MBB summer offer there's a pretty good chance you'll be able to get a lower BB summer offer (then, when the time comes, if you get both offers, you can deliberate). A BB SA gig will look good to MBB come full-time recruiting, and if you're at a target and have a good GPA (3.7+), you should be able to land MBB FT interviews (it is significantly easier to get a FT interview/offer from MBB than a summer one), and, once again, you can deliberate if/when the time comes. I think you should err on the "conservative" side and tailor the next two years to aiming for BB, simply because it's easier to get. But honestly, you can involve yourself in all kinds of experiences that would look good to both MBB and the BBs.
Disclaimer: I'm still in college so I could be off base, but that's my two cents from everything I've absorbed from going through recruiting.
What I thought I wanted to do at 19 looked a lot different than 22, and 22 looked different than 25. No one knows, they just figure it out as they go along.
Here's my take on the "do what you love" idea: If you know what you love, great - by all means pursue that. People like me and (it sounds like) you had/have no clue what we're passionate about and don't even know what it feels like to "love" a career. In these situations I think as long as you're a hard worker, put yourself in the best possible path for success. You don't know what you like doing anyway - why not work somewhere that pays well and has great exit opps? Even if you hate it, other employers will give you a lot of credit for being in banking, PE, whatever. You may discover what you truly love doing along the way - i.e. being in PE and working at a portfolio company make you love the space and you want to do marketing for them, but why not explore your interests while sitting on a great job?
The choice between MBB and BB isn't the greatest example of the above since MBB is a highly sought after career too. I agree with the above posters you should aim for an internship first to decide. Based on your post, I would suggest go the BB route. If you know your interest is in MBB, go with that. But it sounds like you're not sure and are already asking whether or not going to MBB is "worth" sacrificing the money and opportunities. So if you wonder whether you can handle BB or not, try it for 10 weeks...
Still, I think if you're going into this questioning whether or not MBB is giving you less pay/opportunities down the line, just suck it up and do IB for 2-3 years.
I'd also recommend doing an IB internship. If you don't like it after a few months, you can focus on going into something else. Knowing what you don't like is important as well. If you hate it after one summer, at least you know not to spend 2-3 years doing it.
People always focus on the money but you don't need a lot of money to hangout/sleep/watch movies. There's a good chance that finance/investments may not be for you so don't paint yourself into a corner. If you're smart enough to work in consulting or banking you're smart enough to work in a lot of different business/non business fields. Enjoy college and take a wide variety of classes. I'm thinking more and more about real estate and green energy business plans even though my current specialty is ER/AM.
You will also have changing tastes so relax and keep an open mind.
Don't stress over not knowing what you want so early in the game, many people never figure that out. The reason you hear so much talk about "exit ops" in IB is because many people are just like you, they have no definite idea as to where they want to end up and IB gives them some of the best choices once they figure that out. Fortunately, since you are still a student, you still have a while to decide on where you want to start off. The things you need to do for any of the career paths you have mentioned are all pretty similar: get good grades, network, and try to snag some good internships. The last thing you want to do at this point is limit your options.
alright, thanks guys (and girls?) for your input- i really appreciate it
I think the posters above have given great answers, so I'll just add that I've definitely had the exact same thoughts as your original post. In all honesty, I can't think of any type of career-related experience that I've 'loved' or been 'passionate' about.
Lacking that knowledge, I did a little introspection to figure out what kinds of skills I'd want to use in any career that I ended up picking. I realized that I definitely like using the quantitative and logical side of my brain, and that I also like using communication/people skills. I wouldn't say I'm 'passionate' about math, logic or people skills - but I know that I like using those to solve problems, as opposed to other methods. So I figured, hey, may as well start out in something that uses/develops those skills. That way, when I eventually figure out what the specific position/career that I want is, I can be pretty sure it will involve said skills (since they're my innate characteristics), and I'll have been developing those skills all along.
Hope that makes some semblance of sense, and is helpful.
dublin
Dublin hit the nail on the head. Most people have no clue what they want to do with their life and those that do, early on, often end up changing it because it's a moving target...because life changes, because priorities change, etc.
I think you just have to do your best to set yourself up for success. That means, as Dublin said, acquiring the skills that will most likely be required in your 'dream' job. My goal in life is to give myself options (future options) and for most people IB will do that because of the amount of work it takes to get into the industry and the effort it takes on a daily basis not to walk away for something that would be much easier. It generally provides a great foundation.
Personally, I feel like I would love to start a company and be my own boss. However, I don't have the credibility to do that on my own at this point and I don't really have some fantastic idea of what type of business it would be. At this point I enjoy the thought of finance and enjoyed the time I spend interning in PE and feel I would like to start my own fund...after I am established in the industry. Maybe after working for the next 10 years in finance I will decide that isn't what I want to do with my life, so I will keep my options open. I know I am a good cook (not chef) and can bbq pretty damn well...so another thought is opening my own bbq restaurant as sort of a mini retirement where I can still have a daily purpose and still make some money but won't be throwing on the monkey suit everyday and putting in 12 hours at the fund. My hope is that not matter which way I do with my life I will either have the skills required to build a successful fund or the bankroll to get a restaurant going that will keep me occupied...either way I slice it, what I am doing now will have a solid impact on what and how well I do in the future.
Regards
Ab sed odit fuga quia maxime ut molestiae. Ut soluta cumque deleniti quis assumenda. Corrupti eligendi ex voluptates magnam quisquam et quibusdam.
Dolor nulla quod quis non doloribus facilis. Beatae iste in modi aperiam. Voluptatibus ex eos sit quia. A voluptatem aliquid quis beatae. Sed delectus aliquid voluptas dolores natus est. Rerum voluptatibus recusandae repellat atque.
Quae qui reprehenderit omnis voluptate itaque. Itaque et sed esse aut accusantium molestiae praesentium. Dolore qui totam magnam facilis praesentium quidem sit.
Aut eum quis consequuntur est. Rem dicta iure illum qui repudiandae. Possimus quia architecto vero est aut eligendi. Vel nisi eum est error ab quia enim. Repellat autem ab qui explicabo. Ab maiores hic minima officia hic odit dicta voluptatem.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...