Graduating and realizing I might not want to do IB

Hello,

I am about to graduate from college. I’ve had two IB internships and a 3.8 from a non target. I have nothing line up for when I graduate, but I am thinking about my future and realizing that IB is a career path I might not want to pursue, because of the hours and stress. I realized I wanted IB because of the money, but after getting a prorated salary through my internship, I realized I still felt hollow, even through I thought the money would make me happy. I am unsure on what I want to do out of life, and don’t know what my options are or my passion. Anyone have any tips?

15 Comments
 

There are thousands of great business jobs available that are not in IB. You already convinced yourself that you don't want to do IB so don't give in to the pressure. Find something you're into that is an also in-demand skill. Good luck

 
Most Helpful

If you're about to graduate and don't have IB lined up, you likely are not going to land it anyway. Just forget about IB and find something else. There are plenty of finance jobs without the IB hours and stress. Look for rotational programs at Fortune 500 companies, corporate finance, FP&A, strategy etc. There are many other paths than this website pretends, IB is not the only job in the world.

 

Private credit is a slight improvement from IB but still a long-hours and high-stress job - and generally you need to do IB first to get into it, rarely can you get there from undergrad or MFin unless you get into a tiny boutique through an internship or attend a target.

If you thought IB internship hours were too long I think PC would be a similar experience. 

If I were you I'd get some work experience in finance and start figuring out what you actually want to do, instead of paying more money for school with no real goal or differentiated opportunities coming from it. If you decide you want to do something different you can do an MBA down the road.

 
notebookone

IB is broken. Bad business model, unsustainable hours, toxic workplace, poor macro/bonus, ridiculous cost of living in NY and SF. 

(Gross income - half in taxes - rent/food/transportation) / hours worked = less than minimum wage.

Because only bankers need to eat food, get to work, and pay rent! Bankers are also the only job that have to pay tax...

 
notebookone

IB is broken. Bad business model, unsustainable hours, toxic workplace, poor macro/bonus, ridiculous cost of living in NY and SF. 

(Gross income - half in taxes - rent/food/transportation) / hours worked = less than minimum wage.

What's bad about the business model?

 

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