Feeling undervalued and sad

Hi all,
This is a bit of vent. If there is one place where I can assume people may feel the same way and understand, it is on WSO.
So I have been working at a very exclusive, top investment research company for 2 and a half years. The work is incredibly intense and I work really hard.
But I am constantly undervalued and overlooked. I am incredibly underpaid. My total comp is 75% below the industry average. The reason for working here is that the firm is an incredible brand name. When cold emailing for jobs the firm’s name is fantastic for opening doors.
The issue is that I am not "in" with the company.
The company is very clique. Everyone else knows each other very personally from way back.
I am an outsider and boy do I feel it.
Despite being a very senior member of the team and producing great work (according to the CEO)I am not trusted with big client meetings. They are given to others within the company who have the same seniority as me. I also don’t have the same access to the CEO.
Despite producing the best work in the company everyone seems to gush over everyone else’s work and I feel jealous over it.
I hate myself for taking it personally but I feel really sad.
I am still motivated to work hard because I am doing it for myself and for my future. My aim is to move over into a top global macro hedge fund and I use my work to nurture an edge. Something I can take with me to the buyside and crush it from day one.
I have no loyalty to this firm. I fantasise about the day when I can tell the company to fuck off.
Does anyone else feel this way?

Update: Thank you so much everyone for the advice, I really appreciate it. 

8 Comments
 

So true but the only thing stopping me is that I have only been here for just two and half years. And its too early to jump ship? 

If it doesn't work out in a hedge fund which are notoriously volatile then it could look like job hopping? 

 

Take those feelings and that frustration and blast away your resume to all the right places. Make it fun. Track each application on an excel line and call it a victory for every application. Take life by the horns and make every effort to shift to your ideal lifestyle.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
Most Helpful

Know how you feel. I felt underappreciated at a prior company- my peers in my rotation program were getting top ratings, which I think had to do with them having "easy to please" managers. I got mid ratings, which made me below average for the group. Definitely felt it- less attention from leadership, lower raises, etc. Wanted to stay through the end of the rotation program for resume purposes, but it was tough to stick with it.

You have the right mentality- stay for the shortest stint that does the most for your resume. Really look at yourself critically and honestly to make sure you aren't doing anything that is leading you to not be "in" with the company. Work to change those things, but in general- plan your next jump and make sure it's a good payoff for your resume.

 

Yes you are not alone. Many many other people feel this way. Maybe not the exact same circumstances but so many people hate their jobs, their coworkers, their work-life balance, their stress, their office politics, their spouses ;). I was in a similar work environment and got out after 3 years. Love where I landed. Keep your chin up. Work hard and move on.

 

This. What Rahma said. There are people out there that dont want you around if you are smarter. It is super odd and shocking if you have only been in "normal" environments. Tends to not happen at "better" places imo.

 

Ut architecto optio eaque ad voluptas. Est possimus dolorum natus sint placeat dolores facilis. Rerum dignissimos ex quia numquam aliquid.

Ex quasi consequatur autem sed sed qui illum qui. Velit a neque nisi enim natus. Quasi dignissimos assumenda et officia voluptates. Sapiente a ut in hic voluptates.

Tempore quos ab excepturi est nemo dignissimos dolorum. Repudiandae molestiae neque rerum sed quibusdam. Rerum magnam expedita deleniti repudiandae nobis dolores voluptate. Rerum unde perferendis deserunt est nesciunt quidem. Officia alias corporis saepe voluptatem vero.

Quae fugiat illo odio nihil laborum sed et. Eos exercitationem consectetur ea sed. Recusandae nam non id commodi soluta adipisci ut voluptatibus. Pariatur voluptates earum autem neque. Culpa ullam aspernatur est nihil nisi consectetur. Omnis id non provident laboriosam. Ipsa velit sapiente praesentium quia tempore laboriosam sed. Sed ullam laborum nihil nostrum fugit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”