I want to do IB but I have a fear of big towers
Hello everyone, I wanted to bring up a genuine concern of mine. I really want to go into Investment Banking, but I am very afraid of big towers. I know they are well-built and such, but I am still scared that if I am on a higher floor in an NYC office the building could tip over, or if I was on a lower floor it could collapse on top of me. I really want to do IB as the work interests me, but working in a big tower scares me and I think I wouldn't be able to focus if I worked in an NYC or Chicago or LA bank. Please provide advice as to what I should do. Could I ask a bank to let me do remote work? Or could I work from a nearby coffee shop and only go to the building when needed? Please give advice. Thank you so much (No this isn't a troll post I think I have batophobia)
Errrrrrr..... Not sure what advice to give you except ask which building you are being offered a job in and check it out beforehand.
Personally I have a parachute hidden in the drawer of my desk.
Doesn’t everyone? Just in case.
You gotta get over this fear. You have to know that not once in history, that I know of, has a building like that just tipped over. Even if this were tk even happen you would most likely be able to get out beforehand
Not saying it is common, and definitely not common enough to evoke a rational fear, but that apartment / condo building in Florida did just kinda collapse somewhat recently
Agree but that was a situation very specific to that landscape - huge amount of salt corrosion that is a well known problem in that area. OP should get therapy to help work through this
Yeah they're not gonna let you WFH cos you're afraid of buildings lol... that's not how this works. You need to get over this fear.
Maybe you're destined for a boutique in LCOL town/city.
Or move to London/Europe where many banks are in less tall buildings...
Start recruiting for Bay Area tech banks outside of the city
Second this. All Menlo Park / Palo Alto banks are no more than 3 stories
Get over the fear or never work in a bank
Simple
That's not helpful.
Here’s the thing, champ. Sometimes people need to hear the hard truth.
There’s no two ways around this. OP has a choice: get over this fear using tried and tested techniques (therapy, counselling etc), or continue to live with a crippling phobia that will ruin their professional aspirations.
I’m sorry. There’s no way you can negotiate working from home or having company sponsored Xanax because you’re scared of office buildings. You simply won’t be hired.
But hey, thanks intern…. What do you suggest they do?
Menlo Park offices
See a therapist. Working in a 5 story building won’t solve this problem
No this is not something you can get accommodation for, those alternatives are too disruptive (IB is just not something you can really do remotely). Look up building codes and building safety - I understand having a phobia, but NYC is INSANELY strict on buildings and your tower won't tip over. Maybe look into therapy and find someone who can help you through this.
Another consideration here, most banks are not on the 70th floor or anything. Think between 10th-20th floor at most places. Not sure if this is any better but you won't be literally in the sky here
FWIW the folks over at Sandler O'Neil (now part of Piper Sandler) share your sentiment. They lost a good chunk of their firm on 9/11 so they stay within fire ladder range (6 stories).
same w/ KBW and Cantor
Come to credit suisse, super sturdy concrete buildings and you’ll be on the 6th or 7th floor.
Too bad the same can''t be said of their balance sheet
Hey man I know where you’re coming from. I’m scared of heights too and when first visiting some offices I would get afraid being close to the windows
If it makes you feel better, you don’t get to sit close to a window unless you have an office, bullpens (where analysts and associates sit) are normally in the middle of the floor away from windows
I’ve kinda overcome my fear of heights to a degree. However, if you take me to the top of a skyscraper in nyc then ill still stay as far from the windows as possible
BofA in London is like six floors, apply there lol
Almost as bad as that Houston rockets player who was in the NBA but couldn't play away games due to flight fear. My advice is work on getting over this fear. Bruce Wayne got over his fear of bats, David Goggins got over his fear of water, and you too my friend will get over your fear of buildings. Look up immersion therapy.
Can't forget John Madden, who was afraid of flying so he took a bus everywhere
My brother is a firefighter. After talking to him about the survival odds by floor for office buildings, I started paying a hell of a lot more attention to our fire drills.
What are the odds? Higher the floor, lower your odds? And by how much
Living / working in higher floors just overall elevates your risk profile in general, FWIW. More likely to pass from emergency health situations (cardiac arrest, falls, etc.) as the travel time adds a few minutes to emergency response.
Pretty sure that was Jerome Bettis. That's why they called him 'The Bus'.
Xxx
OP, I can relate as I developed anxiety around heights and tight spaces after a traumatic life experience. It's not something to feel bad about, but you should face the fear instead of letting it limit your career opportunities.
Exposure therapy helps a lot and can get you to a point where your body no longer goes into fight-or-flight mode. If you're going to this office everyday, I can guarantee you that eventually, you'll forget you ever had this fear in the first place. Download and read a book called DARE - it basically changed my life.
My shops on the 40th floor of a highrise. You learn how to appreciate the view.
Occasionally you duck and cover and text your family you love them when you see an airplane, but it’s been a false alarm every time so far.
This is actually my current situation. I had multiple bank offers and decided to choose the offer on the lowest floor. Had to give up some EBs and ended up at a low tier bank, but in my eyes it was worth the significant drop in prestige. Now I can work at a height that doesn’t scare me.
Tbh this is the smart move.
Everytime I walk into my bosses office my knees quake and they think I have to pee (or poop) but I'm actually just afraid of heights.
I am currently undergoing hypnosis therapy to overcome this particular fear. I suggest you try out yourself. I cannot work in a high building, and the ski trip with the company are always painful
Keep in mind that even if your office is on a low floor, it isn’t uncommon for people in client facing roles to visit clients in their offices. Client meetings are the last time you want to be having a panic attack. I don’t share the condition so I’m hesitant to say “you just need to get over it,” but I do think trying to overcome the fear is a better solution than spending your entire career avoiding high-rise towers.
The answer you don't want to hear but need to hear: go to therapy. I'm seriously not saying this to be a dick so don't take it as such. You don't want to hold yourself back from huge opportunities in life because of a phobia.
I'm not saying you need to "get over it" on your own since might be easier said than done or you would have done it by now already, so find a therapist in your area who works with phobias.
regional boutique will be your best friend - a lot of them are in 4 story office buildings
Move to a regional boutique in Wyoming. Tallest buildings in the state barely crack 10 storeys.
Had a fear of flying a couple of years back after a scary flight. Got a job in a different city and almost turned it down because I was afraid to fly there.
Went to therapy and did some breathing/meditating work and it helped a lot.
Just gotta push yourself a bit. And it gets easier once you realize your fear is not all that rational...
join a bank in the bay area? a lot of companies run their tech groups out of 2/3 story tall buildings in palo alto. menlo park and palo alto, where many of the groups are based, have 50 foot height limits on most if not all buildings afaik. i can't really think of another city where banks aren't in large towers.
or go to europe, most of the banks in zurich are like 6-8 stories at max, and most likely you'll be working on 2/3
How is easy is it for a US born to get a job in EU/UK (including Zurich)?
As much as every comment here is focused on how you can make some provision to follow through (therapy etc), none of it addresses the crux of your issue. Getting into IB really isn’t your biggest problem here, and ofc as mentioned before you could always move somewhere like London/Frankfurt/Paris and completely negate this. The issue here is there seems to be a much more serious underlying issue you need to address, and MUCH more importantly, need to separate from your vision of your career. Health comes first… often forgotten in our industry unfortunately. Take some time to think about what you actually need. All love x
I would say the opposite in that therapy as recommended above is tackling the crux of the issue and putting health first
Oh yes…. Buildings tipping over are a big concern in Manhattan. I suggest taking a hang glider in the first day just to show how prepared you are.
I don’t think it’ll be a worry to you. There are plenty of things more worrisome than a building as an investment banking analyst
I’m sorry but I found this post hilarious
oh nahhhh
Delete
this is the weirdest yet most honest post Ive seen on this forum
Menlo Park but seriously face this fear
If you let fear dictate your life you might as well give in to the fear of going for a interview or the intimidation of working for a large firm with seasoned IB. The best changes in our lives happen when we overcome fear. Think of it as an opportunity to force & commit yourself to put this fear to rest once & for all. It won’t come every day so go ahead & grab this opportunity!! Let’s not forget that you can always change jobs if you can’t get over it after 3-6 months. You know you can do it or you wouldn’t bother posting it here! Reading up on statistics of how many buildings do or don’t topple or collapse will only grow your fear. So stop feeding it, let it starve till dies & never gets up again. Think of it as your enemy which has held you back all your life, time to finish him for good!
Good Luck!
Big towers are pretty cool
I honestly can’t tell if this is a satire post but if this is real go to a building and starting spending time at medium floors then high ones boom face the fear
Not sure if there’s any specific industry you’re interested in, but tech IB in Chattanooga (think major tech-hub) is paradise, and the buildings aren’t nearly as tall. Good luck!
It's simple, recruit for corporate banking.
Fuga alias reiciendis ex dolore et velit aliquam. Placeat dolorum cupiditate sunt et aut. Quo repudiandae aut et autem amet ut qui. Inventore sed dolor aliquid vero iure tempora autem qui. Aut deleniti placeat molestiae sint expedita hic. Quam ut non veritatis voluptatem atque quos blanditiis.
Dolorem molestias qui eum omnis voluptate quaerat. Vitae voluptatem similique pariatur harum quaerat. Consequatur enim in culpa minima. Iure eligendi sapiente quo omnis et corrupti. Officia ut neque quasi sit dignissimos.
Fugit quam laboriosam a sit sint rerum quaerat. Minus officiis dolores quia voluptas provident consequatur sed excepturi. In debitis cupiditate fugit sit et et porro autem. Rerum odio quia soluta quo ipsam autem. Et ut cumque id adipisci quia maxime facilis. Minus eos iusto rem deleniti.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Doloremque qui dolores voluptatem facilis cupiditate laboriosam qui. Ratione est quo rem corrupti rerum odit. Modi ad minus velit molestias dolore id.
Assumenda explicabo est molestiae aliquid. Iure saepe id ipsa doloribus corporis ipsa fugit. Aut illum accusamus odio. Quo officiis labore est corporis voluptatem. Aut nemo non aut facere. Ipsa enim expedita iste ab. Repudiandae tempore quae omnis at dicta voluptatem.
Sit consequatur consequatur dicta quo sed vero. Molestias vel non adipisci voluptatem beatae consequuntur accusamus.
Dolor et deleniti repellat incidunt fugiat sed ut. Nostrum ex voluptatem quia quasi mollitia velit consequuntur voluptatem. Voluptates voluptatum quod aut blanditiis. Dolorem culpa dolores aspernatur et est repudiandae. Iure mollitia facere architecto ut incidunt cumque culpa. Fugiat dolorem consequatur sit omnis iste quaerat eos rerum. At numquam rerum eaque esse nam quis.
Quas quis aspernatur dolores earum eum reprehenderit et error. Ut et vel qui. Ratione laboriosam odit magnam. Dolores in molestiae laudantium inventore qui.