Know Banking isn't for Me
I'm starting full time very soon and am absolutely dreading it. I know banking isn't for me and am only using it as a temporary stepping stone before I figure out what to do with my life but as my starting date approaches I feel so empty and miserable. For people who know others who left the industry entirely, where did they go? How long did they stay in banking? Are they happy now?
Some options I'm exploring are peace corps, getting a masters in Europe, volunteering in a rural area, backpacking around the world, becoming a digital nomad, moving to Europe to practice my german, etc. I just want to be happy and feel something. Money and prestige don't mean much to me. I have about 45k saved up.
I've spent the past year living all over the world it's been by far the best year of my life. Spent my time surfing, learning german, and volunteering, and spent very little money. The idea of being in new york sitting in the bullpen with a bunch of hardos who also hate their lives isn't my idea of fun. I chose the least sweaty group in my bank.
I had a similar start, I just wanted to do IB so I could work my ass off and leave as many doors open for myself as I figured out where I wanted to go with my career. The work is simultaneously overwhelming and boring and I have seniors breathing down my neck all the time.
I don’t think I’d call it “fun” but I definitely wouldn’t call it a waste of time. I’ve learned a lot about planning out my work, setting my own deadlines, how to communicate with coworkers, operating in a tense / high-stress environment, and a lot of those softer skills I’ll use forever.
I never thought of IB as a career choice, but more so a boot camp or basic training for a great career. A lot of people join the military, and they all do basic training, but (almost) none of them actually stay in basic training forever.
If you want to go into PE/VC, you gotta stick with it for 2+ years. If you’re interested in Corporate finance or doing something completely different, you really only need to do it for a year or so.
What’s kept me from being completely miserable in this job has been analysts that I get along with and hang out with on the weekends and knowing that my life will suck for a bit but won’t be like this forever. Hope this helps
I think this is a very good summary.
Quite frankly, I don't know a single person that went into banking because they thought they would like what they would do going forward, and those very few who did changed their mind less than 4 weeks in. Nobody likes the job (even most seniors hate it, but the golden handcuffs are real) - it is boring and plain annoying more often than not. However, it is exactly this experience which will prove to be a good learning. You learn to work more than you thought you ever could, you learn how to handle pressure and difficult people, and most importantly, you realize there is more to a job than just doing it for the money and prestige. You can only sustain working hard and well if you actually like what you are doing. This collection of experiences was what made it worth it for me + the brand / stamp of approval you will still benefit from many years down the line.
I also agree with the comment above - comradery among analysts (and some associates) + knowing you will get out of this mess quite soon makes this job bearable.
You could become a MD (medical doctor)
Please stop spamming stupid shit
How is becoming a Medical Doctor spamming? It's a legitimate career. You save lives. Piss off mate.
Same, have about 50k and already know I don't want to do the "high finance" career path too long. Didn't want to take the risk of recruiting full time during COVID but I'll prob end up in corporate finance or something chill hopefully after a year or so.
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