anyone feeling overwhelmed?

I'm a rising sophomore recruiting for IB right now. I tend to be a bit of an overthinker, so this post may sound dramatic, but I'm just looking for guidance. I'm involved with a student-managed fund on campus, and I'm at a non-target. Seeing all my peers shoot for BBs and working in M&A makes me believe I should, after all; I might as well get into the "hardest/best" thing then pivot out if needed. But through my coffee chats with investment bankers, I'm only being pulled farther from the industry. They all get on the call sounding drained, bags under their eyes and all, talking about the sacrifice and the 80+ hour work weeks. They all say it's worth it, and I don't doubt it is, but I cannot see myself doing that and being happy or even satisfied with my life, even if it is just 2 years. The traditional exits (PE, HF, VC) also are not particularly appealing to me. I've been looking into DCM, corporate banking, or aiming for AM/PC (I know, unlikely) as alternatives; I heard hours were a bit better, and the work sounds interesting to me from the people I've spoken to/things I've read (I'm pretty interested in credit in general). But then the what-if kicks in, and I wonder if I'll regret not shooting for traditional IB straight from undergrad.

I am a believer that you never really know until you try, but once I try, I'll already be a rising senior with limited FT opportunities.

I don't expect anyone to tell me what career I should choose; I guess with accelerated timelines and all, I'm wondering if any other sophomores feel the same way? I still feel like I am in high school sometimes lol. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

TLDR: Rising sophomore at a non-target, recruiting for IB but questioning whether it’s actually for me. Coffee chats with bankers showed me the tough lifestyle, and PE/HF/VC exits don’t appeal much either. I’m more interested in DCM, corporate banking, or AM/PC because I like credit and they seem more sustainable. But I’m worried I’ll regret not taking the “hardest/best” path while I have the chance. Wondering if other sophomores feel the same and how they’re thinking about it.

 

6 Comments
 

The only thing you can do is do the best you can. Once you’ve tried your best preparing for recruiting, weighing up your options and committing, there is nothing more you can do. Hopefully that helps a bit; once you’ve done all you can you should put your mind at ease as that’s it. Even if you fail, you wouldn’t have done any better otherwise, and you outcome is sealed. 
Do your best and let God do the rest. 

 
Most Helpful

Shoot for the moon and if you miss at least you'll be among the stars. Kinda corny but true, if you try for ib recruiting and fail, at least you'll be easily set up for S&T or equity research. Easier than deciding last minute you want to pivot into IB from S&T, which would be much harder

 

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