Got a FT offer.....but don't want to accept it and don't know what else to do

Hi all, 

I know this has been talked about quite a bit on this forum but I recently spent the past summer doing IB and realized that shit just ain't for me. I was almost hoping I didn't get an FT offer to make my decision easier but IDK what to do. I've asked to extend my deadline to accept twice now from HR and cant make a decision. I'm grateful to have even received an offer, but I'm just not interested in IB. At the same time, I don't really know what else to pursue since IB has been the holy grail for me and many other students for most of our college careers. Any advice here would be appreciated. Sorry if this sounds fragmented and has any grammatical errors, I'm writing this at 3am after drinking belligerently trying to understand what to do with my life...

13 Comments
 

Maybe if you explained some of the reasons why you don't like IB people can give some advice as to what career paths could satisfy you

 

Don't accept it if you don't like the job. Makes no sense wasting the firm's time. Being able to say you got a full-time offer but you're interested in ABC puts you in a better situation than others.

 
Most Helpful

Don’t listen to these people. Take the offer then recruit for jobs you’d be interested in.

You don’t owe anyone anything, not the firm, and especially not whiny kids on wso who didn’t get offers. The firm would be just as happy to fuck you over the opposite way.

Don’t throw away something good in hand worst case u don’t get something else you like. Reneging to go to a diff industry doesn’t matter.

 

yes exactly. Who gives a fuck if u gotta leave in 3 months or even during training after 3 or 6 or 10 months.

However, DONT settle for a job yu don’t want just you wanna eject from IB. had a friend that did this at GS at really good group (sweaty) and ejected onto Corp dev, but just waiting a few months coulda swing something much much better. Don’t settle either, stick it out, make something of a tough situation.

Worst case you keep that full time IB experience on there and ur branded the rest of ur life. Otherwise you’re like a million other suckers out there. U need the job to differentiate, otherwise you’re undifferentiated (which is not bad but u really do skate thru certain opps because of branding and shit)

 

Oddly enough, I kinda get why you're asking advice on something that sounds so dumb- you're worried that if you let this offer go, you won't find anything good and you'll end up unemployed? Obviously take this with a grain of salt- I'd take the job and do it well. Two years from now you can go reposition yourself, IB will open up a lot of pathways and will give you the financial mobility to chase after whatever it is that you want to do.

 

Laborum est dolore vero repellendus et quis ipsam iusto. Maiores aut dolores sit. Aut ex maxime a nisi culpa. Quo ex voluptas sit sed veniam sit. Sit quo amet quod aspernatur voluptatem voluptas rerum adipisci.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”