Become Happier

Hi all- I’m a first year analyst at a BB, my goal ever since freshman year and now that I’m here, I’m not happy. I wake up everyday and force myself to get out of bed (now that it’s wfh I just log in from my bed until I get work). I know IB is a grind but I’m genuinely not happy. It made me reflect and I spent every waking minute thinking about finance in college. Watched every movie, read every book and blog, etc. I haven’t had a vacation since 2012 (>1 day long). My hobby used to be finance (loved learning more about it) but doing it 90 hours a week hasn’t helped and I realize I have no hobbies. I play video games but honestly don’t want to sit in my same desk for both hobby + work. Did anyone else go through this? My family is also going through a lot of personal things so I feel like that side is breaking too

16 Comments
 

Have your tried cutting out porn? it fucks with your (my) brain alot 

 

Hey man sorry to hear that. Definitely a tough spot to be in especially after grinding for so long to get there. To me, it sounds like a purpose problem. Chasing after rewards is rather fleeting, as soon as you reach what you want you jump to another goal and keep grinding. Incentives are a funny thing. Yes, it’s good to save and put food on your plate, buy nice things and compete with the best of the best. These are all good things, but they shouldn’t be the MAIN thing. I would take some time to consider what is your purpose in life. Not what goals you want to achieve, but rather what type of person you want to be, what type of family you want to have, and what type of friendships you want.

For me, this comes down to religion. If I wasn’t a Christian, I know I’d be depressed. There’s only so much gratification from worldly incentives and it’s been extremely important for me to keep a longer term (eternal) perspective. Now, it might be something else for you, as I know there are a lot of happy people who aren’t Christian, or even religious. The point remains though, that pursuing incentives only gets you so much fulfillment.

Good luck dude.

 

Hey man sorry to hear that. Definitely a tough spot to be in especially after grinding for so long to get there. To me, it sounds like a purpose problem. Chasing after rewards is rather fleeting, as soon as you reach what you want you jump to another goal and keep grinding. Incentives are a funny thing. Yes, it’s good to save and put food on your plate, buy nice things and compete with the best of the best. These are all good things, but they shouldn’t be the MAIN thing. I would take some time to consider what is your purpose in life. Not what goals you want to achieve, but rather what type of person you want to be, what type of family you want to have, and what type of friendships you want.

For me, this comes down to religion. If I wasn’t a Christian, I know I’d be depressed. There’s only so much gratification from worldly incentives and it’s been extremely important for me to keep a longer term (eternal) perspective. Now, it might be something else for you, as I know there are a lot of happy people who aren’t Christian, or even religious. The point remains though, that pursuing incentives only gets you so much fulfillment.

Good luck dude.

 

Ab deserunt id sint illo fugit hic. Voluptatibus rerum inventore et rerum nobis. Repellendus qui distinctio eligendi autem hic porro. Aut nesciunt ipsa saepe aliquam et et quia. Occaecati corrupti vel autem labore fuga. Neque perferendis nihil temporibus dolore dolor labore ut. Rerum saepe ad distinctio necessitatibus temporibus recusandae dolorum.

Pariatur reprehenderit rerum esse et ipsum ducimus. Rerum omnis et enim consequatur. Id qui nisi dolores necessitatibus magnam cumque culpa ratione. Ea quaerat non velit. Soluta aut architecto illo velit atque quia. Et quam dolores quia sint sapiente eos. Voluptas id rem vero optio in quos ex.

Aut minus enim quae. Doloribus cum consequatur commodi qui quis. Quae distinctio voluptate quo enim rem architecto similique. Et aut recusandae maxime qui omnis.

Ea consequatur explicabo voluptatem. Voluptatem mollitia ut facere et adipisci. Ratione omnis dolorum est tenetur placeat. Magnam cumque impedit dolores amet velit rem. Adipisci eum impedit sed. Repudiandae ducimus voluptatem laborum consequatur voluptatum sequi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”