Not feeling challenged on the job anymore.

I’ll try to be brief.

About two years ago I left a top BB to join another large institution (not a BB) to help the MD in my product group grow the book. The move came with a 100% all-in comp pay bump. I also got promoted very quickly. Fast forward to now, the growth has not happened. It is not because myself and others have not sourced transactions, but because our credit risk team is much more conservative than 90% of the other banks in the market. I was not aware of this when I applied.

Over the last 6-9 months deal flow has been almost nonexistent. We’ve looked at over a dozen solid transactions with and none of them have closed for reasons that would not be a problem at 90% of other banks. I also have very little work to do — since the pandemic has started I’ve basically been doing one day’s worth of work per week, the rest of the time I’ve been on vacation.

I enjoy the people I work with and I enjoy the compensation, but to be honest I’m frustrated with the lack of deal flow and I haven’t learned anything in over a year. Even when I’ve adjusted my approach to find transactions that fit in our box, those transactions have not been approved either due to the super conservative nature of the bank. I’m not sure what to do at this point or if I should just be happy to have a job right now.

6 Comments
 
Most Helpful

what specific team are you on? loan capital markets / loan syndication? knowing your specific role and responsibilities would help. I was in this position. My focus was to do what’s in MY CONTROL to grow my skillset on the side - especially in competing for interviews. “intrapreneurial” Harvard Business Review calls it.

https://hbr.org/2020/03/why-you-should-become-an-intrapreneur

I was an Associate at a non BB. I’d find ways to challenge myself to keep growing, and build a VP skillset. 1) created a fees and flex comps database (fee letters - combined in folder) 2) Transformative M&A Cap Structures - comped them out - to analyze the differences - why they did it (Dell, Western Digital, vantiv, Microchip, Crown, T Mobile, etc etc.) 3) legal doc knowledge - more below 4) restricted payments - needed to know for an interview- comped out from Moody’s LQA reports 5) doc negotiation - hotly contested items - comped out few letters structural flex items (MFN, incremental, etc - u notice trends, what’s aggressive and not)

that way, in meetings - I wanted to become PART OF THE CONVERSATION - and force my MDs to RESPECT my knowledge, and email back with a damn compliment! (rare)

that’s all I got for now. happy to show anybody how to do any of that stuff if u are in a similar position. or to send some pics or images. any of this info relaxant? I took a shot in the dark there

 

In reality though, isn't it a nice lifestyle to just be on vacatino this whole time? Fine you aren't learning anything but are you seriously interested in this shit anyways?https://media2.giphy.com/media/JTVMLhQPSkIec/giphy.gif" alt="Not feeling challenged on the job anymore." />

Will update my computer soon and leave Incognito so I will disappear forever. How did I achieve Neanderthal by trolling? Some people are after me so need to close account for safety.
 
"Associate 3 in IB - CB" but because our credit risk team is much more conservative than 90% of the other banks in the market.

Now may not be the best time to swap, but I think you know the answer here.

Find a bank with a less conservative credit risk team.

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

Et enim quod totam qui sit sed nihil. Numquam incidunt tempora aut et. Non pariatur rerum autem reprehenderit. Placeat molestiae et explicabo corporis velit aperiam corrupti.

Nihil et illum veniam perspiciatis quaerat molestiae aliquid. Saepe dolorum odit perspiciatis omnis possimus. Et minus quis omnis et. Sunt repellendus dicta eveniet nam enim sed. Asperiores modi earum temporibus facilis voluptas.

At esse corrupti nemo quaerat id sapiente. Sunt qui saepe minus dolores aut dolore quas animi.

Quia optio sed non iste esse minima assumenda maiores. Reprehenderit inventore dolores dignissimos dignissimos ipsum suscipit omnis. Velit labore mollitia voluptas et enim. Velit nam reiciendis voluptas quia consequuntur ipsa exercitationem.

What concert costs 45 cents? 50 Cent feat. Nickelback.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.6%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.0%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.6%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”