Don’t want to be here anymore
Hey everyone, first year burnt out analyst here. Had a rough first couple months on the desk and got absolutely grinded (3-5am nights for four months straight). After the new year I realized I’m completely burnt out. I’m having daily panic attacks and have basically shut down. I hate myself
Seniors at my firm don’t care full stop. Will not get into specifics but my group’s culture sucks. I have been talked down to for months.
My mental health is horrible. And I was a person who thought mental health is BS. Every weekend I stay in my apartment working I contemplate why I’m even here anymore. I’ve lost touch with a lot of friends and I’m deeply depressed. I don’t know a way out and I’m scared. I’m scared of what another 3-4 months in this job might do to me.
I’m legitimately a failure and there’s no way around it.
I think it's clear you need to talk to somebody bro and also heavily consider leaving the industry
Consider? Think OP should outright leave… aint worth it
Don't listen to this non-sense about leaving the industry. Find a better team, with a better culture. You are also super junior so you are learning things. Feels like shit right now but keep going, do not quit. Head home early if need be, take sick days, but stay in it. Lateral to a better shops though.
Ridiculous.
Disagree with this, if you hate the work, the people, the culture, then it could be a sign to leave the industry. Mostly just depends if OP hates the work that much
bump in the same spot
What do you think the points of life are?
*the meaning of life is
It's been a hot sec since I've seen a true value adding comment like this from a VP - sincerely
Most helpful VP
To ask what "the meaning of life is" would be to imply an answer of only one thing. By saying "points of life", I am allowing for multiple answers. Hoe.
To maximize shareholder value
Hey man sorry to hear this. If you’ve been in IB for a year you can probably exit to some other less stressful role. You probably also have enough money to stop working for a few months to get your mental health back on track. I’d highly recommend leaving IB soon and using some of that money you made to travel and also spend time reconnecting with friends. After a few months you can get a less stressful role in Finance as I’m sure many of these roles would love a former Investment Banker with a year + experience. Good luck bro, I hope everything works out for you.
Thanks for the advice I’m trying to interview as much as possible as that’s likely the only way out.
I’m getting worked so hard that I’m studying between midnight and 4am for interviews
Got it, hope you can get it. But honestly man, I don’t think you need to be studying 4 hours a day for interviews. I think you’ll be fine dedicating 1 hour a day, maybe 2 on a weekend.
it gets better - been there. exit when you can
Overworking yourself with interview prep might not b3 the way to go neither
Very often its not about interview prep but reps. So try to sleep and hour more instead and hopefully get in an extra process instead for seeking perfect prep
The rest of what you're feeling is all solvable by changing setting so its temporary
kinda cheesy but you can't find a way out if you don't believe there is one. everyone that chooses this career path is optimizing for prestige, money, or knowledge at the expense of their mental health. the great thing about life is that there are many ways to get any or all of these things.
your avg college kid thinks working at xyz tier bank is worth shit. then you go buyside and nobody cares what bank you were at. then you get pushed out to an MBA and realize none of these other associates know wtf they're talking about. then you go to another shop and these VPs are jealous of their friend that hit a homerun at a hedge fund or another who was the first xyz hire at OpenAI
at a certain point what undergrad, what bank, what mba you went to doesn't matter bcuz u get fucking old. At that point people start caring what private school their kindergartner is going to or what car they drive or where they vacation. guess what - plenty of ppl that dont work in finance have these things
you shouldn't let this industry dictate your ability to choose what's important to you. if you want to call yourself a legitimate failure, it's only because you set the goalposts there. focus on what skills youve developed to give you the self confidence to chart the path you want to go. career can be a slingshot. sometimes need to pull back a bit to shoot forward.
also fuck asshole MDs - a chunk of them would lick shit if their client asked them to
Slingshot comment is all time
What does pulling back look like to you
Would you ever suggest juniors to quit cold turkey
pulling back can mean diff things to diff people - if ur a banking analyst, it could mean taking another junior role to pivot into different geos, asset classes, divisions, career paths, etc. at the opportunity cost of seeing ur peers do an a2a or something - point is to pursue what you want not what other people are doing.
for me, on public buyside, its more like stepping back from sr analyst position to ramp on a new sector at a better platform at expense of paycut, etc. or switching from credit to equities. i find working is easier when ur intellectually engaged. fwiw ive left roles that were objectively better on paper because of shit culture. priorities change as you gain confidence in your ability.
cold turkey just makes it hard to explain to headhunters... so wouldnt advise it unless you absolutely feel there is no alternative. id start by doing only the bare minimum to not get fired for as long as possible while starting as many processes as you can manage before quitting. i find most jobs have long runway that you can push before you actually get fired.
Great comment man
You’re not a failure, the business just legitimately sucks at this point and the worst part is it wasn’t always this way and doesn’t need to be. Take a day go do something physical in nature. Hike, bike, fish it doesn’t really matter and take some time to be contemplative. Start thinking about what you want to do long term, then start making it happen. Also get a therapist and a psychiatrist.
Finally, slack some they won’t likely fire you for doing the bare minimum. Aim for lower mid bucket.
Your first year out of college is a difficult and sometimes depressing year of transition, with or without the grueling lifestyle of IB, so please be easy on yourself. IB is like no other career, and it can be difficult to see your peers have a full life outside of their jobs.
Just remember that every single second you spend in this role, your market value goes up. A lot of employers, especially startups, value the knowledge and concrete skill set you bring to the table.
For those who see themselves as career bankers, the lifestyle sacrifices can be worth it. For anyone else, this job should only be a pit stop. And remember - wealth isn't linear. You can make more money elsewhere later down the line following different paths.
Good luck!
Get out of that situation. Absolutely not worth it. Go to another firm with better culture. Leave IB entirely. You have infinite options. You are more than a shitty job.
Dude probably works at UBS
are/were you the only one staying late till 3-5am?
What type of firm? Is the buyside in any capacity a thought for you?
3-5am nights for 4 months consistently is absurd. Lateral out if you can, surely
Lateral out of there. There are several seats that are muuuuch more sustainable. DM and happy to chat and connect you to anyone in my network
On a personal level - you are not a failure. There are a lot of assholes in the industry. A lot of money can attract a lot of horrible people. But not everywhere is like this. Stay safe, prioritize sleep as much as possible, and remember that these people you worn for will be forgotten the moment you leave that sweat shop.
Better days ahead for you lad. Chin up, and find an offramp soon. Also if you know this place has no future, stop trying as hard and prioritize recruiting. Even them firing you is a better outcome than anything your post suggests. Take care
.
OP - I was feeling the same way and quit after 2.5 years as an analyst 2 months ago with nothing lined up.
It’s hard to describe how incredible it felt the second I put my notice in and flipped those fuckers off on the way out. I’m happier, not stressed, and the craziest thing is that I’m not terrified of not having a job right now. I’ve been sleeping, working out, hanging out with my family, and skiing for the past couple of months - has been an epic reset and well needed.
I feel so stupid that I didn’t do this earlier but was also stuck on the “path” and keeping up with my peers out of college. Wish I could shake my senior year self to not do this but hey hindsight is 20/20 and at least I have some cash / breathing room while I figure out what’s next.
You may be able to negotiate a package and leave on mutual terms. Otherwise, just quit. That job will be the last thing on your mind once you leave. If anything, you will be relieved. If you decide to stay, learn to detach / set boundaries and look for other opportunities.
You should definitely start recruiting and start putting less effort into your current job so you have capacity to interview. Hate to say this but usually culture/envioronment doesn’t get better unfortunately
3-5am is insane man, you are going to die.
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