I honestly do not know what I want to do in my life. Please help
Hello all,
I hope all is well.
The title is a bit dramatic, but it's how I feel
I am a student at Université Paris-Dauphine (it's a pretty good university, not as prestigious as HEC, ESSEC, or ESCP, but I would place it somewhere close to Sciences Po for reference), in the Master's in Finance (1st year out of 2) and currently on a gap year.
So far, my experience has been at a public financial institution (Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations). I worked on M&A and Shareholder Oversight, and it was a good experience that allowed me to see finance from a practical point of view
Currently, in the first part of my gap year, I am interning at Proparco, another public financial institution, but one that finances the private sector. I’m in their FIG team.
The problem:
When I started my current internship, I received an email from a bank inviting me for an interview for a DCM internship. I'm going to take it just to test myself in macroeconomics and see where I fall short. But this has made me question what I really want to do.
DCM sounds interesting; it’s a blend of corporate and market finance, it's in IB, it pays well, and it still has some prestige. But reading posts here, it seems like it's a bit of a dead end in terms of exit opportunities.
What I’m doing at Proparco is also interesting, but I feel like it's less technical than DCM. However, I have the opportunity to rotate into the Infrastructure & Energy team, and I find Infrastructure Private Equity particularly exciting, especially in my home country (Morocco), which has some very interesting funds (Africa50, Al Mada, Amethis, AfricInvest). However, after looking at the LinkedIn profiles of people in that field, most of them have done M&A or Private Equity before, so Proparco might not be prestigious enough for them. And DCM is really not the same world.
What I’m excited about is something that is technical, has an element of public policy, and where I feel I can have an impact. I want something tangible, like Infrastructure, where I can also be client-facing since I love interacting with people... but I’m not sure exactly what that is yet. Sometimes I tell myself you should try to break into Consulting (Public sector consulting), some other days I tell myself I need to do the impossible to break into IB, or to PE... I don't know
My question:
If I get the DCM internship, should I leave my current internship at Proparco and go for it? And if I don’t take it, what should I aim for in the second part of my internship?
I am also thinking about applying for the LSE Master in Public Administration, and I'm telling myself if I get the admission, it's going to be great because it's something that interests me, but I also can target IB because I have LSE on my resume if things don't work out
I’m sure many of you have been in my position, should I just chill the f*** out?
Thank you so much for reading.
It sounds like you're at a crossroads, but that's not a bad thing—it's a sign you're exploring your options and thinking critically about your future. Based on the most helpful WSO content, here’s how you can approach your situation:
1. DCM Internship vs. Proparco
Proparco: Staying at Proparco, especially if you can rotate into the Infrastructure & Energy team, aligns well with your interest in infrastructure private equity and public policy. While it may not have the same prestige as IB, it’s a unique experience that could differentiate you when targeting roles in infrastructure funds or development finance.
Recommendation: If you’re offered the DCM internship, consider how it fits into your long-term goals. If you’re leaning toward IB or PE, DCM could be a stepping stone. However, if you’re passionate about infrastructure and public policy, staying at Proparco and rotating into the Infrastructure & Energy team might be more aligned with your interests.
2. Second Part of Your Gap Year
3. LSE Master in Public Administration
4. Chill Out and Focus
5. Actionable Steps
Final Thought
You’re in a strong position with valuable experience and a clear interest in technical, impactful work. Whether you choose DCM, Proparco, or another path, focus on building skills, networking, and exploring your interests. The right opportunity will come as you gain clarity and momentum. And yes, take a deep breath—you’re doing great!
Sources: Making The Jump - Construction Manager to Development, Should I take a gap year before as an IBD analyst at MS?, Q&A: Pivoting & Upselling Your Skill Set - Big 4 to DCM, Ratings Agency CA to IB, Q&A:Commercial Banking SVP Ask Me Anything, Kennedy School of Government (and schools of the like)
I have an American friend who worked for one of the African private equity investment funds you mentioned. She did have prior private equity experience, but went through the Summer MBA path. My intuition tells me that if you did infrastructure investing for Proparco / AFD that it would be viewed very favorably by those funds, particularly with you being from North Africa. Amethis has four managing directors or partners who are ex-Proparco, including one founding partner of Amethis who used to be the CEO of Proparco. This is a very strong connection for you. Africinvest also has some people who are ex-private equity at Proparco. Al Mada is a very small team, so you should probably focus on building rapport with some of the people closer to your age there through networking. I think if you want to work for the African investment funds, the path you're on honestly sounds just fine.
Disclosure: I'm completely American and have no direct experience whatsoever with African investment funds. My friend does, and the overwhelming sense I've gotten from her is that it's a neglected area that doesn't get the attention it deserves, which means that the people who truly have a heart for it are all the more powerful. You've also got multi-decade secular tailwinds in building out resources that other countries take for granted. All investing there is truly impact investing, and that's a very gratifying fact.
Thank you sooo much for taking the time to write this.
Honestly it’s very dear to me and I’ll be trying my absolute best to break into it.
If you and your friend don’t mind, may I get any form of contact to talk a bit more about this with you?
si tu viens à LSE pour le MSc pour percer en finance, y a que le MSc Finance et MSc Finance and Private Equity qui sont bien pour recruter
J’ai l’impression que les avis sont partagés sur cette question…
Il y en a qui me disent ‘’Ouais LSE dans tous les cas ça te fait passer les screenings même si t’es en histoire’’ et d’autres qui partagent le même avis que toi
C'est la difference entre Bachelor et Master, en Master tu dois etre dans les bons programmes (Accounting & Finance est ok mais moins bon que les deux autres ci-dessus)
You can get into escp or essec Mifs with your experience and M1 at dauphine. I've seen a few people do it and they end up in really good places
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