Where to next?

Nearing the end of year two and feeling very unsure about what should come next. Unlike a lot of others in my class, I was not fixated with on-cycle recruiting / signing up for another two year stint doing PE and basically doing banking 2.0. That being said, none of the other typical “exit” opportunities particularly peak my interest which has caused me to feel some career paralysis and thinking about staying in banking longer than I had originally anticipated.

Would appreciate any perspective if others have found themselves in this situation and how you navigated it

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I was in sponsors coverage and several clients actively recruit me, but for a variety of reasons I didn't want it. I went to a small boutique in a tier 3 market, started a company and am now happy in PE with a lot more perspective. I didn't want big PE and am at a LMM shop. Many of my friends are now partners at big PE shops, and they are on the road 4 days a week in their mid-40s. Work travel sucks as you get older and have a family as I still sit in my office at 9:30 at night working on internal DD and a term sheet...getting old also sucks.

 

Looking back, do you wish you took another career path post-IB? Curious to hear from someone who has seen how the world works in finance. 

 

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