Quitting IB for a more meaningful life

I’m a 24 year old second year analyst, looking at a promo to associate at the end of next year. I’ve realized that I’ve hated my life for a long time. When I was going through all my internships in finance and wasn’t enjoying it at all, I just assumed that this is what “adult life” is and I should give it a shot after graduating. 

As mentioned, I hate each day of my life and the money isn’t enough to justify me doing this anymore. I’m way more driven to a service-oriented role where I can give back to others in some way. It’s hard for me to get over the amount of time I’ve wasted. As much as people think IB is a golden ticket to anything in life, people in the fields I’m looking to get into truthfully don’t give a shit about my experience. 

Has anyone transitioned to a more service-oriented role after realizing finance isn’t for them? It makes me sick to think about ending up as a tied down loser like a lot of my seniors and leading a life of regret.

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