I’m in the wrong profession

Disclaimer - I love my job, but man comp is lagging…Went to a top Ivy and now work in ER.I just met with a CFO who's 33 from some generic state school (90% acceptance rate) -> MS IB for two years -> did something else -> became CFO of a publicly traded company at 28 and is banking a cool $10 million in all in salaryNot saying he's not smart, but man…

28 Comments
 

Maybe - I repeat MAYBE - you relied too much into your Ivy degree to do all the work on your behalf instead of putting real time and effort to develop yourself and find better opportunities out there (as our CFO friend did)? Just sayin'...

Anyway, great post to realize that Ivy vs. non-target means nothing in life. The only thing that matters is the person behind the degree.

incentives trumph ethics
 

then why would you compare yourself with someone 10 years ahead of you? smh

anyway, as I said, your career will lead you wherever you decide to lead it. If your current role, long-term, doesn't fulfill your long-term expectations, then strategically plan to jump into something else. I don't adhere to the defeated mindset that kbansan7 encourages. I adhere to planning and take aggressive action towards accomplishing whatever goal I've set my mind to. 

incentives trumph ethics
 

Wait a minute. Do you honestly believe that since you went to an ivy league that means you are somehow better than this guy that went to a state school?
Shows how little you've lived in the real world bud... 

 

So then why did you word it the way that you did?

"Some generic state school" and then included their high acceptance rate.

You weren't negatively speaking about where he went to school?

 

CFO of a publicly traded company

This is honestly overrated except for the comp. My philosophy is that any (finance) job your parents would know of, is overrated. You gotta do those jobs that Main Street doesn't know of - buyout MD at KKR, quant developer at Man Group, momentum researcher at AQR, distressed at Oaktree or even IB MD. Those feel way better and sicker than Main Street-familiar jobs like CFO of whatever. The jobs that your grandma would know, somehow all have this non-target vibe that doesn't aroma well in the tongue

 

Not sure why you're putting so much emphasis on his 90% acceptance rate school.

What you kids nowadays need to understand is school is arbitrary now. Target school just means you paid $300k for slightly better interview opportunities.

On another note he did 2 years at MS IB, clearly he started in a way better position than someone who had to settle with ER because they failed recruiting.

 

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