Does continually thinking about exit-opps lead to misery?
We've all seen it on WSO. The exit-ops dream. Threads galore attempting to rank banks and consulting firms solely off of exit ops.
If this period was 2-3 years, maybe thinking about exit opps would be justifiable. After all, that's what college is for: hoping to build a better future. But many seem to fall under a cycle. Once they hit PE associate, next its justifying another grind to reach PE VP or break into a hedge fund. And on and on and on.. With people continuously focused on the future life, will they be ever happy in their current life? Is it better for somebody to enjoy their current position and live life to the fullest with exit-ops being at the background instead of the forefront? Comment below with your thoughts.
Bump anyone have thoughts? (or am I just wasting time here)
I think it does - if you’re constantly prepping for the next stage, when do you get to enjoy the benefits of the work you have already done? Not saying anyone should go into pure “harvest mode” in early career, but I find myself wishing I could simply throw myself wholeheartedly into excelling in my current role and spend the free time I do have enjoying life outside of work. At a certain point you need to ask yourself why you are putting in the hours - and no, “because WSO said so” is not a valid reason.
EDIT: Would be nice to have a more senior user weigh in on how their mindset on this has evolved over time, and what precipitated that. Also would like to know if they think focusing on exit opps has a meaningful payoff at any stage.
I struggle with this in a big way, can't stop seem to thinking about what my next move will be and constantly reassessing a short, medium, and long-term view of my career path. I'm trying to focus more on being fulfilled by the meaningful and interesting work I'm doing now, I think I just have to retrain my brain a little bit.
One sense I get is in this industry, your skills are highly cumulative and the more experience and exposure you get, the more enjoyment you can take in the work. It takes years to train the brain to make the kinds of insights the top guys in the industry make and to support the kinds of creative decisions being made. This isn't to say there isn't creativity and enjoyment to be had at every level - there absolutely is. Whether the creativity and enjoyment at any level is "enough" for you is a deeply personal decision, and different for everyone.
My point is that opportunity cost is a reality in life at every turn. If you have a distant end goal, and it requires some gnarly steps to get there, you can't help but thinking futuristically and looking towards the exit opps. The people I know who are truly happy take joy in the journey, not just the end result.
Being goal-oriented is a good thing. If your potential exit-ops align with your long term goals, then I think there is no harm in thinking about them and being excited for them. I find having short-term goals (professional and personal) give me happiness my "current life."
If you are too focused on ONLY the short-term then you may be really happy right now, but you might be hindering your growth.
I think you’re right, it’s about striking the right balance between short- and long-term focus. Suppose that ideal point is different from person to person.
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