If you were given a year to defer before starting IB, would you take it?
I'm an incoming analyst at a BB.
I've been dealing with some personal things due to my fathers passing. I relayed this to HR and they offered a full year deferral with a 2025 start.
It basically means I'll have about a year to travel / hang with family / relax before starting IB. I wasn't very close with my father, so this really would be an extended vacation.
Would you take it?
Dude, trust me on this one.
Take it.
My sister died and I took a year off grad school to explore the world and reflect. This led to me deciding I wanted to pursue finance and changed my life forever. You are so young, an entire year to reflect is the best thing for you, especially after such a devastating loss of a guiding figure.
The extra year is nothing in the long run but having an entire year off with your future guaranteed (you get to come back to an extremely high-paying job) is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
You can take as much time as you need to mourn, you can then run up debt travelling, being young, making memories, and then come back and pay it off in 6 months.
I think “career sabbaticals” are the best thing you can do for yourself. 100% take this. This is a gift. Get your offer in 1 year in writing and go make some memories. RIP to your father too. I guarantee he’d want you do to this.
Sincerely, from someone who went through something similar and wished he had the job lined up after instead of travelling and then having to figure it out.
Thanks for the advice. He actually passed 5 months ago (right after SA ended). We really weren't close, but dealing with the estate and my mothers reaction to all of it has not been so great.
The year off would really be a year of doing whatever I wanted. Being a year behind is the main reason I'm wary of accepting.
Btw, I've already been sent an updated offer letter for 2025, I just need to sign and get back to them within the next 12 days.
Feeling behind stops mattering like 2 - 3 years into the workforce.
My IB analyst class ranges from 22 - 28. This year will make you more well-rounded and interesting, making you much “further ahead” in other respects.
You will not regret this when you look back and reflect on your life. Think of it this way too - you will never get an uninterrupted year off for the rest of your life unless you quit / get fired and have the means to do so.
Agreed with above - its worth it
I’d do it, Luckily I graduated in December and got 6 months off to travel and reflect on life unlike most in my analyst class who graduated may and started in June. I’m sorry about your loss. This break can also help u realize where u want to be in the next stage of ur life. I know I had a hard time planning out the next 3-5 years after living my life a semester at a time. Got to explore some truly beautiful places and get in the right headspace to hit the desk strong
I echo the above albeit I recommend to have a few things in mind to do during these 12 months, because that's quite a long period of time and you can feel lonely especially if all your friends are starting their jobs and hence have limited free time to hang out or go on holidays with you
Agree with this advice too (poster above).
12 months is a long time, have some plans, don't expect to be travelling for all 12 months, but you can really do a lot in 12 months. Write the GMAT preemptively, travel the world for 6 months, hang with friends across the country, and spend 2 months deciding what you really want out of life.
Use it wisely.
Absolutely (so long as I have the financial capability of living the life I want for that year)
If it’s feasible financially, I’d take it.
bump
100% take it. Everyone talks about travelling, definitly a lot out there to see. Even domestically there are plenty of small trips u can do. Everyone is pretty concerned about the financials of that lifestyle. IMO go and work cool jobs, be a bartender in hawai, forest ranger in yellowstone, barista in paris. plenty of ppl work those jobs full time to support their lifestyles, u can go and pick two or three things to do and just for a month or so at a time. I imagine ppl may be wary abt hiring someone for such a short period, ur choice how forethcoming in that regard u want to be. But that sounds interesting, can give u experiences u would have never had and jobs are low stress flexible and can still allow u to explore other lifestyle options NYC finance doesnt offer.
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