How do you move out of banking when you no longer have any drive?

I've found that the ambition I had has pretty much dried up in the time I've been in IBD. I've been performing well (top tier in a solid industry group in a BB) but I don't enjoy much about the job anymore. Obviously a ton of people grow disillusioned with banking fairly quickly, but I think most of my peers have something that they do enjoy about the job (the modeling, the client aspect) -- they just hate the hours and the way senior bankers treat them. I don't particularly care for the modeling, and I've been burned so many times by clients that I don't particularly care about them either. I'm tired of creating analysis / pages that cater exactly to what the client wants to see instead of coming up with something thoughtful / meaningful. The folks who've reached out as mentors who supposedly want to help me progress at the firm are the same people who will crush our teams over a holiday for a random / unnecessary ask. Beyond the camaraderie / teamwork amongst the junior team and occassionally being able to learn about interesting companies / industries / M&A strategy, I don't think there's much about this job that I enjoy.  

While I know this means I need to quit, I'm somewhat at a loss at how to move forward when I feel like I have no driving motivation anymore / something I'm interested in that can help create a path forward. Friends who moved into the buyside all loved modeling and the grind or just recruited early and didn't give it much thought. Everyone else moved into industry because they liked parts of the job but wanted better hours / lifestyle. I'm also not particularly motivated by comp and have fairly low living expenses. Up until this point, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do and had been so excited to get what had been my dream job, but now I don't find myself interested in or excited by this job or any of the fields my peers moved into. I know I should feel really lucky to be where I am, but I'm honestly just really disheartened.   

Just wanted to see if anyone else is in the same boat and if so how you might've thought about career moves. 

TLDR: no drive / motivation after getting what had been my dream IB job, don't know how to move forward 

2 Comments
 

Take time to reflect and see what did you enjoy about work (not just IB) and what job gives you that. I know someone who went from BB IB to his families small business (really small) because it made him realize he likes working with tangible products and something entrepreneurial. No matter how you look a it, you are a better person for doing IB. Maybe take a break and reflect.

 

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