Hey everyone, so I’m a first year analyst and had a few days “off” (not PTO) due to thanksgiving and I really didn’t do anything. Everything I did for fun in college is dead cause of COVID but I want to find a way to spend my weekends / downtime from work on something I enjoy. As of now, all I do is work and prep for PE recruiting. Any suggestions? I kinda want to start a side business or YouTube channel but not sure
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You could spend some time volunteering or reading as more pandemic friendly (1 person) activities
I feel like I can’t do anything that requires me to not be near my computer/quick access to emails.
When I get a chance to go off the grid I either play golf or get obliterated drunk with some friends, or both. Got to find your thing that lets you step away from the desk
I want to get into golf but it’s so dam expensive to start
Not sure where you're based so could be different. But if you're in NY, keep a core group of friends you're comfortable seeing and take advantage of being able to have more mobility outside of the office. Maybe go jog or catch up on a book or TV show. Basically don't let your job or finance in general dictate your activities when you're not required to be at your desk. There are several feasible things you can do like I mentioned which are doable even if you're tethered to your email. Side business could work but you've obviously got to disclose that if you're at a registered broker-dealer / have a legit plan so you're not just spinning your wheels or sinking money into something which won't go anywhere. A youtube channel is tough because you've got to have a pretty targeted population in order to gain views and monetize / be comfortable with your content being a permanent part of the internet. I see why you're restless but first focus on "you" things and then move on to things which involve external-facing activity. Just my opinion but it's how I'd approach
Thanks! Yeah, I’m not in NY and staying in a small town with my family to save money (think it will be huge to save the extra $50k my first year) but lockdown is really intense and don’t really have friends in the city so no gym to focus on. December itself (I believe) is really slow for IB so wanted to take advantage of the free time while staying inside. All the books I’ve read so far are finance related and don’t really enjoy reading
Pick up a good non-fiction book in an adjacent industry or a fictional novel which interests you even tangentially. Make sure you keep a broad set of interests so you don't end up being the "finance-only" guy when we start hanging out in groups more regularly. If you really don't like reading that much (and btw if you enjoy finance books you are capable of enjoying other genres) take up a good docuseries or just a tv series you might not have watched. View this time as more an opportunity to do things you wouldn't normally do rather than focusing on the lack of social life, as hard as it is even for me to do. Also taking time to do outdoor exercises such as running/jogging/calisthenics can be super valuable.
Bunp
Bump
This is a good post. Maybe study for the GMAT? I did that earlier this year.
Also train hard and eat clean but I'm sure you know that..
def recommend volunteering in nyc and getting involved in your local community somehow. You will feel so much better and meet really cool people you would never have met in finance
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