I’m an SA and I don’t think I’m on the right path. What do I do?
Yeah, I’m two weeks into the internship and I don’t think IB is for me. Well, better now than later. I know that much.
My group is great in terms of culture and league tables. The work and hours are exactly as advertised. I didn’t think it would be different—I thought I would be different.
I just don’t know if I can handle the hours for two years. The associate promotion and private equity don’t seem like great rewards. They work slightly better hours, but it’s still bad.
I’d like something a little more academic and data driven. I have an econ major and a computer science minor, and I’d like to put them to use. Unfortunately, I’m not exactly a quant. So I doubt those quantitive HF or consulting jobs are available to me.
My goal right now is to pay off my debt. I don’t care if I don’t really have a life outside work, so it seems like banking is a good fit. But I’m just not confident I can handle the hours. So, what do I do?
I did a corporate banking internship last summer, so I could go back to that. It’s not a bad idea, but I’d like a better one.
And please, if you have any advice for someone who is having second thoughts about IB, could you share your thoughts?
It’s difficult to give any specific advice about what you should do moving forward without knowing more about your situation or interests, but it’s important to remember you are gaining the exact insight an internship should provide: do I want to / can I do this job? I would not make any permanent decisions yet because lots can change by the end of your 10 weeks (many interns start feeling the way you do but learn to enjoy the job and lifestyle), but if you finish the internship still feeling this isn’t a career you want to pursue, that’s okay. You aren’t weak or stupid, you may just truly find the work unfulfilling or don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze. The job is difficult enough when you are passionate, it can be downright torture if you don’t want to do it, so don’t try to force yourself into something you know you’ll dislike.
Stick it out for the 10 weeks, don’t burn any bridges, and reevaluate if this industry / company isn’t what you want to do. It is much easier to recruit for other places in finance with a return offer in hand. It’s not worth making large-scale life plans until you have all the information.
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