Idk how to feel about leaving IB
I left only after a couple months of my Analyst role bc of culture and WLB. Left to corp dev where my TC is $115k, while my TC as a 1st yr Anl would have been $160k
I have so much free time right now but, not to sound ungrateful, $115k just doesn’t seem like a lot ?
After rent (with roommates), 401k, 1k in brokerage a month, groceries, transportation, and necessities, I’m left with like $300 bucks a month….
I just feel like I may have made the wrong decision. I’m happier in terms of WLB, but the money is really killing me.
Comparison is the thief of joy, I know, but I just feel like I can’t afford the annual international trip, biweekly night out at restaurant, and occasional gift for my GF all while trying to save up enough to buy a house at 30 years old.
Again, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, I’m just unsure about my career trajectory now. Goodbye PE, goodbye HF, goodbye any super high paying exit opp. Goodbye 100k bonuses, hello $10k bonus…..
I’m upset and happy? Idk what to do with myself. Can I still get into high finance without doing traditional IB ? My Corp Dev is purely M&A and target ~ $40 - $60m acquisitions of which I have already closed 2
Will this acquisition experience help me land something institutional / super high paying similar to IB (assume I never go back to IB)
Dude, you sound like an absolute mess. If you left ib after a couple months you would probably have a heart attack working in PE or at a HF or would get forced out for not enduring the absolute bare minimum which are the hours. Everyone on WSO that's truthful about their jobs express the hours they work in PE and at a HF, and its the same or slightly better/worse, give or take.
You seem way too materialistic for your own good and don't appreciate what you have now. You have the taste of a banker but the salary of a normal, high-earning white collar professional. Not gonna make this into a scolding session, but take a hard look at yourself and decide if its worth going back to banking and be miserable just for 45k. Go do something with your life rather than play games with yourself about breaking into a HF or PE (which is not something you can just casually do, but have to actually express a deep passion for if you want to be good at it and not get fired 6 months in).
I'm not trying to come across like a hard-ass but you seem to have found a good job that lets you live versus working away your youth. The only drawback in your backstory is you left banking too soon, you probably would've had a higher TC had you stayed at least a year and a half.
Seriously - OP, get off this forum. $115k right out of college is an EXTREMELY good salary especially if you're not working your life away for it.
Figure out what you want to be doing in 5, 10+ years and work towards it, but there's nothing wrong with getting 2-3 years of experience in a decent corp dev role.
People on this forum love to be "BX or BUST!" but as someone further out of college... most of my friends who went MF PE or top HF washed out after a couple years to paths you wouldn't expect / aren't "comp maximizing" because money just isn't everything and it won't make you happy. If you're in a good job, like the people and see growth ahead for yourself... just tune out all the noise, figure out some hobbies / a life for yourself and keep moving
Exactly, the chase to prestige has (imo) warped how people in finance view jobs and fulfillment in life. A majority of young student and young professional want to chase prestige and work at a Tiger cub or KKR and be the next Bill Ackman or Harper Stern, but simply put your chances of stepping foot in one of these establishments, let alone being successful is rarer than getting struck with lightning. There truly are more jobs out in the world besides PE, HF, LO, IB, ER... that can bring in incredible money without slaving your youth away. It took me years to realize this. OP, perhaps work on a side hustle that you can own one day and commoditize. I would kill to have consistent free time to live life rather than quickly workout after work, scarf my seamless Naya, and shower so that I have the energy to do this again the next day.
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