Stuck in a well paying job
My professional background includes several internships, a short stint in private equity, and then a move to a well-known international institution. The organization is highly reputable and offers a very decent salary along with attractive perks—such as being tax-free, excellent insurance, and various allowances. In the country where I’m currently based, my compensation is comparable to that of an Associate 1 in finance.
However, despite the financial and reputational advantages, I find myself increasingly frustrated. I’m still relatively young and highly motivated—I genuinely enjoy working. But in my current role, I often only have about 10–15 hours of meaningful work per week. The rest of the time is filled with pointless meetings or sitting idly in my home office.
The work pace is extremely slow, and there’s little to no support from senior management or colleagues when it comes to pushing forward worthwhile initiatives. I consider myself a creative person who seeks meaning and fulfillment in what I do. Unfortunately, this environment feels more like a stagnant bureaucracy—or even a corrupt military dictatorship—where recognition is handed out for superficial accomplishments.
I’ve already started two side projects to channel my energy, but neither has gained much traction yet. Career progression is nearly impossible due to very low turnover, and most days feel stagnant. The only upside is that I can usually finish work early and enjoy my personal time in the evenings. But emotionally, it’s difficult. I sometimes fall into a slump and feel quite down.
What makes this harder is that alternatives would require working twice as much for roughly the same pay—albeit in a more dynamic, fulfilling environment. I consistently receive strong feedback on my work, which is encouraging, but it doesn’t lead to anything more—no promotions, no new challenges.
Having worked in private equity, I’m used to a much faster pace and higher standards of efficiency. What takes my colleagues a week often takes me a day, but that efficiency is neither valued nor rewarded. I’ve even asked for more work, but the available tasks are often so meaningless that I’ve stopped pursuing them altogether.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, your situation resonates with many professionals who find themselves in well-paying but unfulfilling roles. Here are some actionable steps and considerations to help you navigate this:
1. Clarify Your Priorities
2. Leverage Your Free Time
3. Explore Internal Opportunities
4. Evaluate External Options
5. Find Meaning Outside Work
6. Plan Your Exit Strategically
7. Patience and Perspective
Ultimately, the decision to stay or leave hinges on your willingness to trade financial comfort for professional fulfillment. If you’re confident that a more dynamic role will bring you greater satisfaction, it may be worth pursuing despite the challenges.
Sources: Feel like I'm going to be stuck in this job, what do I do?, Who is happy & satisfied with their current role?, Recruiting successfully does not mean happiness, The Path to Least Resistance: Why IB May Not Be What You Really Want, No bonus/payrise despite good year
Sounds like you're at a development finance bank. I would use the time to network in your industry to create some optionality if you want to move back to a more traditional buyside seat. Focus on your side projects if you think there is real potential.
The question is also whether I should switch job, I build quite a network and a switch back should be possible. And I believe I should do it, as working more with interesting topics is the lesser evil to my current situation. It just sounds stupid to leave a very well paying job with good benefits and a tremendous WLB. It is just that I enjoy working but it is either 70+ hours or 25+ hours at my current job.
Take my advice with a huge grain of salt, but I would put even more effort in into my side projects if I were you (assuming that you have a genuine passion for these projects) since you do you’re work extremely fast and high quality. You’re a talented guy with tremendous skill, so don’t give up your projects if they don’t gain traction in the short term. Hell, maybe one of your projects turns into a business, who knows. Whichever way you go, I hope the best for you
What’s your job
Time to find meaning outside of work
1st World Problems
Don’t we all have them? Jokes besides, my exact questions is about being fulfilled to some extent, and not properly working is really putting a hit on me. However, working three times as much for the same salary just seem stupid, so, it is actually a though decision
If you're able to work remotely, you should spend all your free time building side businesses or learning new skills (trading stocks, crypto, social media, AI, etc). Otherwise, spend all your time crafting your resume and practicing interview questions to get a new job.
lol why can't he just work the job he was assigned to? Do more things for his current company...
Because he sounds like the type of person who is too smart for his environment, even if he got a promotion he seems like he'd still easily excel and get bored
Sounds like AIIB…
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