Type 1 Diabetics in Finance
I'm an incoming Summer Analyst in IB and would love to know if anyone here is a fellow T1D with experience managing it on the job. I have good control but things like pulling out candy in the middle of a meeting to treat a low, having alarms go off mid presentation, or needing to abruptly switch pumps seem like potential problems. Plus the high level issues of stress / hours potentially compounding long term T1D effects.
Would love to hear any advice people may have
T1D who did multiple internships in banking. There are a few things I would recommend:
Transparency: Be transparent with your deal team.
During my first banking internship, I was incredibly insecure about being viewed as different. Believe it or not, I went the entire internship without telling anyone I was a T1D. It made things much harder. Again, in hindsight, this was a catastrophic mistake. But anyone who is a T1D knows what its like to be different all their lives, so perhaps you can understand this.
Later on, I let Analysts know, but in hindsight I would have been transparent with the entire team. As an intern, I was never really "presenting" but there was one time when I was working on a model and my blood sugar was quite low and I needed 20 minutes before I could get back to making changes. Diabetes is a challenge you face every day. People give you a bit more leniency when they know the reason you took a 5 minute break was because you had to vs. because you wanted to.
Working when unwell: Be prepared to work when you feel like shit. In school its nice because when your blood sugar gets out of range, you can take 20-60 minutes to correct (especially if its high, you can take a walk or do a quick workout). In banking, even as an intern, you may not be able to. My goal was always to perform at the level of non-diabetics. Which is why even though I had ~12 months of total IBD internships, I could only count one time where I actually paused work because of T1D. In hindsight, I doubt most people would have truly cared, but it was a standard I set for myself. I just really didnt want people to think my chronic disease inhibited me from performing the job (spoiler alert, it didnt, and wont, but it does make things harder).
Stress: One specific call out I observed was don't forget the impact of stress. On one deal I would regularly work late with an Analyst I hated. He was a type A prick. Every single night starting at around 7 PM my blood sugar would rise, until it eventually settled around 300. This was in the era before dexcoms or other sensors, but it really really sucked. I wasnt eating anything and it was a long time before I realized it was purely due to stress. I had to do 2x the normal doses to bring it back down, as you know how hard it can be to bring down blood sugar when you are extremely stressed. Dont worry OP, it gets better. I am far into my career now and I can manage almost all stressful situations. If anything, you force your body to be able to not react to stressful work situations.
Avoid lows over highs: Additionally, its the lows that can put a stop to your work, not the highs. I was always able to work through the high blood sugar, even if I felt like shit. Lows can be seriously problematic, as you well know.
Reflection: I am much older than you now, and I have a successful career in a competitive field (ignore title). If I could go back and do it all again, I would prioritize my health more. Like it or not, you are not and never will be normal. You have additional challenges and it is far more important that you prioritize health than the rest of your cohort. After several banking internships, I realized lifestyle banks were the only options, for me. That doesnt mean its the only option for you though.
Acknowledging tech advancements: I think banking is a tough spot for T1Ds as the hours lack of sleep and extremely high stress levels make managing it more challenging. BUT, if you are smart enough to land an offer in banking, I believe you can find a way to make it work. However, the improved technology like CGMs and closed loop systems may truly have changed the game. Perhaps if I were doing banking now, things would be different.
Final thoughts: To all the non-T1Ds reading this, I realize it may sound harsh or like I am pushing OP away from banking, that could not be further from the truth. I am merely outlining all of the realizations I had during and after going through IBD as a T1D. In general, the world doesnt fully grasp what it is like to be a T1D, which is ok. But unless you are also a T1D, I would advise caution in trying to tell OP my perspective lacks objectivity.
This is incredibly helpful. Thank you for the effort and advice. I'll definitely make sure to be up front with the team and will remember to update you on how the summer goes
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