MBA associate looking to leave

Title says it all. I am six months into the job (BB coverage group) and realize it just isn't for me. Not sure what the alternative would be outside of grinding it out until first year bonus. Also not sure how great bonuses will be this upcoming year. Anyone on here leave early post MBA, how did it turn out for you? Anyone currently feeling the same way? I can't be the only one out there….

110 Comments
 

Honestly the real marker is 2 years. So if you don’t want to wait until that leave ASAP. You are not an analyst with no other work experience.

Leaving post mba in the period 0-2 years after banking or consulting will get you functionally the same job.

Meaning that time spent won’t move your career forward. So best leave after 2 years or asap. Waiting for 1 year or something stupid is functionally a waste of time.

 

If you weren’t in banking or even finance prior to B school. Then it will be difficult to recruit for the “next” finance position -> with “experience”, such as a Corp Dev Manager / Director at a Port Company or Fortune 500 / IR Jobs or PE / Asset Management gigs or a Finance role in a startup.

2 years of banking is solid enough to say that look you tried, you did it. You ran maybe 1 or 2 sell sides, you did a few financings, you seen the inside of a couple of committees. This experience is valuable to clients looking for former bankers to help them navigate both financings and M&A.

You may be able to land that FP&A job though without banking experience since that can be more operational tuned.

————————————————————-

Obv if you just found out that you don’t like banking, you probably weren’t doing it prior to school.

 

I think these posts are more for people to vent, just express their fears into the internet void or just want to read some comments of encouragement.

I can’t imagine you actually think having a top mba and leaving a top banking job after a few months is actually some type death knell.

You can do whatever you want man, just make sure you have the money saved in case you don’t find a job quickly after you quit.

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 
Most Helpful

Hard time wrapping my head around the fact that OP (1) finds investment banking so unbearable that they want to leave ASAP only 6 months into the job and also… (2) is trying to keep optionality open to return to IB in the future.

Brother. Either decide that you want this, put your 110% into it, and keep grinding until whichever comes first: you hit the 2 year mark or lateral to a better IB opportunity. Or decide that it wasn’t meant for you and just move on with your life and put your 100% into a different role or field.

You can’t have it both ways. Chasing two rabbits at the same time means you’ll starve to death. First 6 months of the job is  table-stakes anyway, it doesn’t get remotely bearable or enjoyable until you start getting good and leading interesting work streams and deals.

Not at all being critical, not suggesting there’s a right or even better answer. I just think you should make a firm decision and then continue down that path relentlessly. No matter what field, the successful and happy people I know have grit and go all-in.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”