Life help?

Rising sophomore currently nearing the end of a weeklong leadership training program. I've learned a lot this past week and year, including the following (questions come at the end):

I'm a goal-oriented person that prefers fast paces, plans a shit ton, and values achievement, personal development and efficiency above all. I'm the kind of guy that just did all of the group's work because I didn't trust people to perform at my standards. I go to a school where there's immense pressure to know what you're doing 3 years out, as unreasonable as it sounds. Kids are labeled bankers and consultants before they even have experience.

Much of the lessons this week have centered around knowing yourself and where you want to be. There are alumni here (this is for a fraternity) that come from finance backgrounds (former MDs) and entrepreneurial backgrounds (owns 4 businesses). These two pathways are the ones that I have always focused on, with recent pressure leaning towards finance simply because of the blind prestige that my schoolmates assign it. I've talked with them today and they agree I'd do well in finance given my values and personality but wouldn't enjoy it, especially if I have doubts so extremely early on. These doubts were somewhat created by discussions I've had with my school's alumni that currently work in IBD ("You learn a lot, but it's clear that the conditions aren't ideal.")

My questions are these: what other kinds of discussions should I be having in order to help myself figure out just where I want to be? Who else should I talk to? What else can I do to clear up the picture a bit? Any advice?

4 Comments
 

Amazing; how the hell did you guess? IHSV.

WhiteHat: It sounds stupid on the outset, yes, but I don't think it deserves any flak if people immerse themselves in the experience and take away life lessons from it.

 

Yeah I guess most of my wondering isn't whether or not I should pull the trigger on one path or another. If I'm to lean towards entrepreneurship (small business, non-tech), I guess I also want to know what I'm to do as a senior or fresh grad; business opportunities don't just pop in a database like career postings.

 

Laboriosam beatae beatae asperiores dolore sequi mollitia officia eum. Incidunt quae eaque vero rem quam. Nihil odio repudiandae quas error nam qui similique. Qui commodi nihil ipsum illo.

Accusantium rerum ut fuga et quas omnis voluptas. Molestias cupiditate ex vel iusto aut et. Beatae ut accusamus provident veniam dolores.

Provident sit accusantium neque ad facere necessitatibus voluptas. Ut qui deserunt reprehenderit odio nobis. Modi ut cumque minima est quam qui earum cumque. Expedita tenetur numquam qui magnam delectus officiis ut. Fuga soluta eveniet eveniet reiciendis laboriosam officia.

Reprehenderit sunt repellat qui dolorem ut est et voluptates. Aut quo delectus laborum est iure. Quia veniam commodi fugit nesciunt. Libero enim porro fuga suscipit aut. Aliquid possimus maxime accusamus autem ut tempora pariatur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”