Would this be advisable for an analyst at the end of their 2 year stint? Would having a gap on my CV be a deal breaker for future job applications?
I'm a first year analyst at a BB and have lost direction. I'm not enjoying the job and I don't excited by/attracted to any traditional exit options and I'm starting to think about what I will end up doing at the end of my 2 years.
Towards the end of my undergrad I began to get interested in languages having not really pursed them growing up, however this was too late to reach a meaningful level in anything. There is a language I would love to learn for personal reasons and I feel like the only way to reach fluency would be to take time off, move to the country for full emersion and just learn full time - this this my current plan.
Can anyone comment on whether this is a good idea or not? Are there any ways to make this potentially less damaging such as enrolling in a university language program/working part time etc.
Thanks
Languages are important and I grew up with 3 of them. From my personal point of view: I have never gained employment because of my languages. Language skills are a "nice to have" and extremely useful in the business world, but your core skills and experience are way more relevant. The "lingua franca" in banking/finance is English. I know folks who are native English speakers and who work/live in countries like Switzerland and Germany - they are fine.
What you could do: - Check whether your employer has language courses and, if not, tuition reimbursement. Having languages among their employees is useful and a good investment for all parties. - Take up language courses on your own time/cost. Start with 2-3 hours per week and see how far you can go in 6-12 months before deciding on anything. (Languages are not "easy" for everyone. Some take a lot longer to pick them up). - If by personal you mean having a girlfriend from another culture or in another country: see if you can get either a rotation or secondment in that market. All banks should have offices in key locations. A spouse from another culture makes learning the language a lot easier.
I wouldn't recommend resigning as it is unclear to me how you could join the employment market after your gap year. The price is too high to pay just to learn another language/culture. The issue at hand seems the fact that you are not enjoying banking/finance and you might need some time reconsidering career options.
do americorps/peacecorps
Colbert , what did you end up doing? I'm in a very similar situation
traveling is not an efficient way to learn a language from the beginning....just use online courses and do it on the occasional night/weekend...eventually you'll learn enough...then go for live conversational classes...and THEN business language training...and THEN travel and do the immersion.
Seems like a compete waste of time to me. How do you plan on paying for this?
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