Love the job but not sure if the right choice?

2nd year coverage analyst here hoping for some advice. I was a top bucket analyst in my first year and a few months into year 2, the group has indicated that A2A is without a question in the cards this year. We've had a few associates / VPs quit recently and rather than filling those spots, my group is letting me run point on files as an associate. I love the industry I cover, I love IB as a business (always thought I'd be a better fit on the sell-side) / what my seniors do, and get along with everyone in my group regardless of seniority. 

I always thought I'd be a career banker (and to this day can't think of a job I'd rather be doing), however WFH seems to have blurred that line of sight. I have the reputation of being a team player / insanely hard worker, however the non-stop, 7 days a week of work while being trapped in a room has genuinely been soul crushing. I definitely lean more towards the extroverted side, and being in isolation for a year now has drained a lot of my energy. I look at my directors who are in their late 30s / early 40s and are pulling the same 80 - 100 hours that analysts are. Tons of people in my group have taken time off due to health issues. 

Quitting has never crossed my mind because I genuinely enjoy what I do, but as many of you know first hand, we put a number of other aspects of our lives on pause when working in IB. While I'm sure we won't be working in our bedrooms for the next 20 years, it has made me reconsider whether all of this is worth it, and if this is how we want to spend the rest of the finite time we have on this planet.

I'm not sure there's a question to be answered here... I've seen the millions of threads of analysts quitting. I feel slightly lost because I'm one of the select few that enjoys IB, and am not sure what I'd be doing otherwise. Just hoping to see if there's anyone out there that has any input or perhaps feels the same way - thanks in advance.

5 Comments
 

You sound like someone I know. My advice is to let the staffer know, if you are truly a good analyst and I believe you are based on what you said, they should accommodate. As a first year I grinded for the first 6 months and hinted to the staffer im getting burnt, he called the associates and a Md I worked with and told me they want me to take a week off. MD in my review said he had no problem with it because happy analyst = better work product and culture. Don’t be afraid to bring this up.

 
Most Helpful

Fortunately, I think America sees the light at the end of the tunnel for getting out of the COVID situation and people will start returning to the office soon.  Keep up the awesome work that you're doing - very few people are as fortunate as you in that you're 1: still employed during these times and 2: doing something that you absolutely love.  momentary pain for long term gain.

Something you can surely do in the short term is take some time off - maybe (preferably) a week.  Go somewhere sunny, where you can hang out on the beach.  Hell, are you close with any family that lives somewhere like the above (or near some other type of geography that you'd prefer?) maybe you can ask them if you could work out of their home for a few weeks if you can't take time off - a change in scenery (especially one that you enjoy) can do wonders for your mental health.

 

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