Achieved everything I wanted, but just feel lost and unmotivated
Hi,
I went to a European non-target for my bachelor and always wanted to work in finance. IB was a farfetched dream and I realized that my chances of realizing it was very slim. Anyways, I worked extremely hard and managed to get into a European target for my master's in finance which I will begin this fall. I conducted internships in IB and VC over the last 6 months. I will also start a private equity internship at a decently sized (EUR 5B+) buyout fund this fall. While I have achieved far more than I could ever have dreamt of even a year ago, I am not happy at all.
The work itself has its moments but it is pretty boring 95% of the time. Obviously, working in high finance also nearly eliminates free time and when I do have some free time on the weekends, I am just mentally dead after the week and do not have the energy to do anything. I am leaning toward other options which have a better WLB and are more intellectually stimulating but still offer decent pay, such as consulting or a smaller PE firm with good WLB. However, that would mean leaving potential on the table and turning back later in the career if I change my mind would be nearly impossible. I am feeling lost and unmotivated. The reason that I still continue to pursue a career in finance is because I am mentally expected to do so. I am also afraid that if I change my career path now, I will change my mind later on and regret it for the rest of my life. I would be thankful for any advice, especially from those who have been in the same situation.
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I agree with you. To be clear, I am extremely grateful to have been given the opportunities that I have.
This is becoming a common theme. Probably always has been but is far more vocal today, especially post covid and amid WFH alternatives / blends. My suggestion is to get real clear on what's important to you, what you would like to do professionally, and align the two. On the "like to do professionally" piece, think in terms of industry and role. This becomes tricky as you need to be able to see the forest through the trees. Many of you, if not all, will be going through the motions in entry level positions. You'll be asking yourself, "why am I doing this?" You may be overweighing your immediate situation in the long term equation. Or you may not be. That's a personal decision.
Ask yourself these questions and any others that help you get really clear.
Do I like this industry?
Do I want to be part of this industry long term?
If so, in what role?
How do I get there?
Is my current role just something I have to do for a few yrs to get there?
Is it worth it to me?
Are there other ways to get there?
If not this industry, what?
What do I really want to do?
Other than earning lots of money, what are my goals both personally and professionally?
Will this role help me achieve those goals?
Lots of soul searching. To make it tangible, I'll share some background. I'm not in banking. I'm in AM, PWM both as a FA and a Distribution Company (Independent wholesaler). I've been in this space for 30+ yrs. I had to go through all the cold calling, grinding, long hours, etc. when I started (hours were never like IB but the pressure was probably higher because I was totally in an eat what you kill world). Once I got to a certain level in Distribution (built a decent size organization and was a top producer for several investment and insurance companies), I examined what I really wanted to do. Prior I was too busy just doing and building income. I looked at friends and colleagues in my space that were making a killing. I was doing well but they were doing 2x-10x with the top guys earning 8 figures annually. As much as I loved the "idea" of owning their business, I realized I didn't want to do what they did to build that business. We were in the same space / vertical but had very different businesses. They became large marketing / distribution companies where I stayed in more of a boutique / financial planning / producer group model. It wasn't 8 figures (or even 7) but it was more than enough to make for a very comfortable life that allowed me to focus on what I enjoyed in both work and my personal life.
These aren't easy decisions. I fairness, I spent many yrs (like many yrs) second guessing myself and/or comparing myself to others. I'm a competitive person so that's natural to me. It took a long time to realize and rationalize that I COULD do what they did and have what they had, but I didn't WANT to and it WAS OK! Their businesses were no more similar to mine than if they were the owners of 50 McDs franchises. I was running a fine stake house and focused on the actual service / clients. I'm 58 now. I don't have what many on this site refer to as FU money. But I have plenty and it's more than enough to live how I want to while staying engages as choose.
Lots of ways to win the race. These are hard internal decisions. Focus on what you really want. Ask yourself tough questions and be brutally honest. You may not know enough about yourself at 22 to even make quality decisions but at least start thinking about it. Realize that whatever you choose to do, it's going to be hard work with a lot of grinding in order to be successful. Med school, Law school, starting a business from scratch, IB, PWM, Consulting, Big 4 accounting, and basically anything can wear you down and spit you out. What's on the other side and do you want that?
Great input, I really appreciate it. Really liked the part about realizing that you might be ABLE to do something, but might not WANT to do it. As such, not doing it should not necessarily be viewed as a failure.
Exactly. You do you and learn to be happy with that journey.
You have not even achieved anything yet lol. You’re still just an intern and don’t even have job. Wtf are you talking about.
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