Is Investment banking worth giving up pursuing my passion for?
I had a coffee chat with a fellow associate at wells fargo earlier this Monday and we both connected through the fact that we both have a passion for aviation. Him and I both discovered our passion for aviation at the age of 18, in which was my first solo flight to SFO.
When I turned 18, I had the privilege to connect with 2 fellow delta captain and his co-pilot. They were kind enough to invite me to their cockpit, give me a tour, encouraged me to chase after my dream of becoming a pilot because there is a lack of female representation, the captain even was kind enough to take off his hat so that I could wear it and he allowed me to sit on his seat and took a photo for me in it to save the moment. After that, I just completely fell in love with aviation and I absolutely cannot explain why I love it so much when people ask me. I guess the best explaination would be, like how a car guy loves car, I on the other hand is like that but with airplanes and the engineering behind it.
The banker that I was able to connect with told me that the reason why he chose IB was because he was able to make a lot more money hence why he chose it, but still yearns to become a pilot. After the chat I thanked him for his time and that i am really considering the aviation path but he responded with "Everyone at flight school hates their lives for 4 years until they make it to the airlines 3-4 years So it’s basically IB except you are so poor you can’t go out. Maybe not an issue in GA bc you have housing and it’s medium cost of living. It of course took me way longer to get to commercial pilot (4 years vs 1 year if I quit my job) but I made a lot more money". So he basically told me to stick it out in IB since I will make a lot more money, but is IB worth the money of givng up something that I have such passion in? Is it really THAT much money?
I am now in a pickle whether I should continue pursuing IB or pursue my dream in aviation. What do you guys think?
Deciding between investment banking (IB) and pursuing your passion for aviation is a deeply personal choice, and both paths come with significant trade-offs. Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are some key considerations to help you weigh your options:
1. Financial Rewards vs. Passion
2. Lifestyle and Work-Life Balance
3. Passion vs. Practicality
4. Long-Term Perspective
5. Advice from WSO Threads
Final Thoughts:
If you’re still torn, consider these steps: - Try IB First: Since you’re already on the IB path, you could give it a shot for a year or two. The financial rewards and experience might provide a safety net if you decide to pivot to aviation later. - Explore Aviation Gradually: Look into ways to stay connected to aviation, such as taking flying lessons on weekends or joining aviation clubs, while working in IB. This could help you gauge whether your passion for aviation is strong enough to pursue full-time. - Reflect on Your Priorities: Ask yourself what matters most—financial security, passion, or work-life balance—and choose the path that aligns with your values.
Ultimately, the decision comes down to what you value more: the financial rewards and career opportunities of IB or the fulfillment of pursuing your passion for aviation. Both paths have their merits, but only you can decide which aligns best with your long-term goals and happiness.
Sources: Was it worth it?, The Allure of Investment Banking, A Career in Investment Banking is Retarded, Life after Investment Banking
Just to level set, questions like this are hard as I don’t know your background but assuming you’ll break into banking is a massive assumption. It is very challenging even from the right school/background and will not happen if you are undecided about it. On the other hand, getting all your pilots licenses/hours is also a slog that’s very expensive and has a long payoff period (I.e., you’ll have to do the whole minors to majors timeline and take out loans for school/hours which makes the payoff period rough).
I thought about becoming a pilot but ultimately decided against it due to cost, timeline, and uncertainty. Admittedly I was not in love with aviation and was more thinking about being a pilot for hours and “coolness” (I know, stupid) with still decent to great pay in the later years. The airlines are cyclical and I talked to a guy who had done the whole grind and finally got the job at the major airline to only be furloughed during COVID and was literally working in a shipping warehouse to pay his loans while waiting to get rehired. He did eventually get rehired, but my point is that it is not glamorous or easy until very late in your career when you have the seniority to get paid and take the good routes.
With all that said, I would recommend doing IB, specifically in an aerospace and defense group. There aren’t tons that only do A&D but they exist and would likely be the best fit. I would think about it as you can do IB, which pays much better on a much shorter timeline and it does not close you off from enjoying aviation as a hobby and being connected to the industry through your coverage. If you decide to be a pilot you are completely cutting yourself off from the IB world. If you truly love flying and know that’s what you want to do I would go for it but unless it’s a true passion that you won’t lose love for during the long expensive hours, I would shoot for IB.
Worst case scenario of not landing an IB role is you go to pilot school a couple years later or if you land in IB and hate it, you can save some cash to pay for flight school and also go a couple years later.
thank you for your long and insightful response and reading through the long question :")
Not for WF
Follow your passion. You’ll be happier and if you go on to be an airline pilot for one of the big boys you’ll make good money.
The day I got my banking offer I had an offer to go be a graduate assistant coach at a D1 football program. Coaching football was my passion and I went banking, hated every second of banking. Always think what could have been if I went the other route.
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