Find something you like to do and do it to death
I'm 30 or so, I worked in PE some years back, I have learned a lot about myself since then. I was at a blue chip shop, I worked so hard to get there, I bought into "the track". But then a mix of not liking the job and bad culture made me burn out.
It's been some years since PE and I finally found something that I enjoy doing. I still get paid well and you can find something that pays you well for most commercially-applicable intellectual work you want to do. The difference is that you just wake up and want to start doing the thing you're doing.
You don't have to save the world, you don't have to be the richest, you can just do something that you find interesting enough that you think, sure, I can do this every day and be net positive on life happiness for doing this.
If this isn't profound, you can gloss it over, but I really wish I internalized this when I was starting my PE associate program. I think I knew it on paper, but really internalizing it has been awesome. Whether you find this in PE or out of PE, I would encourage everyone here to keep your mind open to doing something that you don't mind doing at the very least, or tend to enjoy at the very best.
I've noticed being way more successful since starting to do things I like to do, because I just do them to death, and it's not a chore. Having pep in my step is nice after such a long grind.
Appreciate the insight. If you don’t mind me asking, what is it you are doing?
Probably onlyfans.
Great post - Could you share what it is you enjoy doing and how you discovered it?
As Tim Ferris once said: “Your life is made up of a series of ordinary Tuesdays. Figure out what your ideal normal Tuesday looks like. Because if you can have an amazing Tuesday, you’ll probably have an amazing life.”
Couldn't have said it better.
This is very similar to Nietzsche's concept of eternal recurrence. Picture this world as if it will repeat again and again, until eternity. Under an eternal recurrence, what will you do? If you choose to do smtg under eternal recurrence, that must be smtg that makes you happy. Nietzsche criticized the Christians and the Platonic philosophers because they staked so much on an ideal afterlife - this behaviour, according to Nietzsche, prevents you from grasping this earthly life to its fullest, and is a very sickly coping mechanism.
I wanna come back here in 3 years and say I’m making good money, I found a path that I love and reinforce to others there is more to life than 0.005% IRR sensitivities and chasing the next most prestigious thing. Life is short.
Did you ever feel any regret leaving PE like you had thrown away a winning lottery ticket? Or did you ever feel irresponsible or short sighted for leaving the industry to focus on a better WLB and life experiences because you’re still young and unattached and could theoretically keep grinding for a few more years? If so, how did you deal with those feelings? Did getting the right job relieve you of those doubts and insecurities?
Originally yes but then no. I realized I wasn’t happy and I realized I could make enough money outside PE to have a vacation home, travel a handful of times per year, private school for kids, fine dining, etc. So it was a mix of “I can still get what I want” and “I’m happier doing it”. But it took a year or two to get there and adjust from “if I just stayed here even if miserable I’ll have fuck you money way quicker”
Edit: the difference mainly is I used to buy whatever I want and now I actually think about it. Right after my ASO years I went to Napa with some friends and dropped a rack on 6 bottles of wine. There was no reason to do that right then and there. It was fun but I don't need to be doing that right now so now I just go to napa and nice dinners and wine tastings... I don't need to do the "extra" thing
how much do you need to be making in order to do all of these things you mentioned above, especially considering that you (seem to) live in an ultr hcol area (sf bay)? I don't think anyone I've heard of can do all of these while making $500k/year in SF Bay, unless you're not saving much. And even in big tech and fast-growing startup unicorns very few non-tech roles pay $500k
Not to beat a dead horse but you have to tell us what you do for work now!
for me it's traveling and clapping cheeks
Same brotha
Amen.
I've done about 50/50 operating/investing in a "fun" industry like sports or TV or travel but on the sexy / fun side of things.
Thanks, OP. Super insightful write up. Gives me hope that there something out there will bring me a joy I have yet to experience in PE.
Can you walk us through how you found what you love - was it something that was always on your mind and you were hesitant to jump at it? Was it something you blindly gave a shot at and ended up loving it?
Bump - can OP elaborate on comp to still maintain a decent lifetsyle and how they figured out what alternative path to take (if they dont want to disclose what they do)?
Otherwise, this post resonates with many, but isn't the most helpful.
bump - appreciate the helpful insight.
Great post, I am currently still studying, but when I finish I hope to find the job I would like to do as well, right now it's more likely that I will become a financial advisor, since I already got some kind of experience in the domain and I liked it. I never wanted to become famous or rich because it always comes with a huge price, so I totally agree with you.
interesting post, I wanted to start a similar thread by myself. Everybody is saying "do what you like and you'll be happy" but that's easier said than done. How do you find something you really "like" to do, and that also pays well (because let's be honest, it IS important how much you earn).
Let me give you my opinion about this: You can't have everything in life. I found out myself in my dating life and career, always looking for the next best thing. But that way you're never settling and never really happy with what you have, which sucks. I think the trick is to find something you like enough / a job you don't mind doing. If you find something better that's good, but I don't think working in your dream job is in the cards for all of us
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