Quitting Miserable Job 1 year before Grad School? GAP, Extend, or look for temporary opportunities?

Hi all,

I'm currently enrolled in a 1-year rotational graduate program in BB in the Middle East/Levant, with a BBA (concentration in Finance and Accounting) with a strong academic record. Unfortunately, due to a hiring freeze, there are no job openings in the franchise I'm currently in.

My managers are considering extending my program for another 6 months to a year, as there are currently no job openings in other locations due to a hiring freeze in the bank. However, I'm totally against the idea because the small franchise I'm in is miserable people here are very annoying and arrogant, and I'm having a hard time learning anything (I only learned during my corporate banking rotation while working on CA's other than that its a waste of time).

Instead, I've decided to pursue a MSF in the US for many reasons including having more technical/specialized knowledge and access to the uS Job market after graduation, and have prepared a list of programs I would be interested in. I wrote my CFA L1 in May and directly started preparing for the GMAT.

  1. If I decide not to renew my program and apply for a Master's, will it have an impact on my chances of being accepted if i wasn't employed at the time of submitting the application? Or will the University not care much as I'm applying for an early career professionals Masters? Will future employers worry about that GAP between job and Grad School ( I will probably focus on CFA L2 if I pass L1, and take some courses in that time)?
  2. Assuming I renew my program for 6 months (only considering it to save more money), and during these 6 months I complete all the university application, and then I directly quit, should I notify the universities after I've applied that I've left my job?
  3. Would it affect my application if I quit the BB I'm in (its the biggest in the region) and joined a REPE startup or went back to university to take more programming/calculus courses and enhance my knowledge.

I would appreciate any advice on my situation as my anxiety is at all time highs :)

Many Thanks!

Velit mollitia et ut. Ea et illo possimus veritatis.

Et nostrum et amet. Accusantium sed dolores non et aut sint. Quis qui molestiae natus eum.

Accusamus quia ut odio quidem maiores deserunt. Dolores aliquam omnis mollitia ut expedita. Fugit corporis qui neque sed doloremque et. Facilis voluptatem voluptatum ipsum sit quos perspiciatis porro. Assumenda praesentium natus illo tenetur.

Quis est natus placeat incidunt laborum ut. Labore voluptas voluptatem facere quam velit ipsa. Sit facilis soluta nihil quasi. Qui et magnam cum quis sequi expedita. Repellendus iusto impedit quis molestiae et qui minima. Error labore eius dolore officia quis et.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2023 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres (++) 99.6%
  • Jefferies & Company 01 99.1%
  • Lincoln International 01 98.7%
  • William Blair 12 98.2%
  • Financial Technology Partners 02 97.8%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2023 Investment Banking

  • William Blair 04 99.6%
  • Lincoln International 11 99.1%
  • Canaccord Genuity 18 98.7%
  • Jefferies & Company 05 98.2%
  • Stephens Inc 11 97.8%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2023 Investment Banking

  • Lincoln International 01 99.6%
  • Lazard Freres 17 99.1%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.7%
  • Financial Technology Partners 06 98.2%
  • UBS AG 15 97.8%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2023 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (6) $592
  • Vice President (33) $392
  • Associates (160) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $187
  • 2nd Year Analyst (101) $169
  • 1st Year Analyst (309) $167
  • Intern/Summer Associate (48) $167
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (225) $94
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...”

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...”