Intern Depression
About 6 weeks into my IBD internship and absolutely hating my life. Finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning and on the verge of shutting off my computer most hours of the day. It feels very similar to depression, which I have experienced mildly throughout my life.
I don't feel that I'm performing very well, my manager is a complete asshole, and I don't fit with the team as a whole.
The hours haven't been bad at all in the context of IB (70-80 hours) but I still feel like I am sacrificing way too much time with family, friends, and hobbies that mean a lot to me.
I don't know if working for a different group/bank will help me stick out my two analyst years before exiting (if I can get a FT offer somewhere) or if I need to consider pursuing a slightly more relaxed career. I also don't know what I can do to stick out the remaining few months of my internship with my current mental state.
Any help or personal insights are greatly appreciated.
Note: Before people tell me to be grateful and it's not that bad, I understand all of that. Clearly I cannot handle it as well as others and am not as cut out for this as some people. So those comments aren't helpful at all.
Just think you’d be another sad story.
But.
If you can dig deep, finish your internship then look for a different career path. You’ll be fine.
Maybe look towards a career in consulting, FP&A, mutual funds, or something with better suited hours/work life balance. There’s nothing wrong with any of these and many people have been successful in these fields.
I also advise to try to pick up a small hobby, so you can better compartmentalize work. I play guitar and workout. My friends have taking up boxing, fishing, etc. These allow for a reset and release from work. Cheers my friend. Yes it is hard but I believe in you to finish it out!
Banking's not for everyone bro. So many good careers out there. If you want to work under 70 hours it's going to be a little tough, but there are jobs out there with low hours.
Game plan should be to tough out the remainder of the internship and get a return so you're not jobless. Additionally, saying you have that offer will help you lateral or recruit into other jobs. Once you have that offer in hand you can think more about what's right for you, although if 6 weeks WFH is a struggle I think you already know this isn't for you.
Since it's been 6 weeks since you started your internship, I am assuming you are also a Canadian banker. I was one too, up until recently when I decided to call it quits. After a depressing winter, life is finally opening up in Toronto, so I really want to be able to enjoy my life again. Finally able to attend my friends' patio BBQs without crippling anxiety of whether the VP will give me a call.. IB isn't for everyone; it clearly wasn't for me too and neither was for you. Time to look elsewhere
OP here, can you PM me? Can't PM you.
I don't wanna dox myself from post history, but I am happy to help if you can comment here. Maybe the advice could be helpful for other readers as well?
Fair point. How long were you on the job, and what was it that made you decide it wasn't for you? Any plans on what industry to exit to?
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