THANK YOU WSO

Thank you everyone for all of the help over the past half decade. I came from a non-target background and senior year of undergrad decided I wanted to do the whole finance grind Manhattan lifestyle and found this website. With the help of dozens of you and hundreds of networking calls & emails I joined a MM bank and finished my 2 year analyst stint. I got an offer for a LMM PE (mostly PC) shop, but am happy to announce I’ve grown enough as a person to realize I don’t want this. The hours, the ass kissing, the constant fire drills are officially behind me. I have left everything and am moving to a southern lower COL city with my partner where I am switching to be a senior FP&A analyst (cars company - my interest too). I’m out. I did the thing, and used my bonuses to pay off all student loans and save >$120k. Thank you all. The prestige climb is over. I don’t care and maybe I’m simply too much of a pussy to continue the IB lifestyle, but I am much happier and am happy that it was only a chapter and not my book. (Pretty nice that the chapter came with $ and work ethic/professional development though)

It’s been fun and I wish everyone an amazing holiday season!

12 Comments
 

Based on the information provided in my knowledge base, here's a detailed summary of the user's journey and achievements:

  • Background: The user came from a non-target school and decided in their senior year of undergrad to pursue a finance career in Manhattan.
  • Support from WSO: With the help of the Wall Street Oasis community and extensive networking, the user secured a position at a middle-market (MM) bank.
  • Career Progression: Completed a 2-year analyst stint at the MM bank.
  • Offer and Realization: Received an offer from a private equity (PE) shop but decided against continuing in the high-pressure finance environment.
  • Life Change: Chose to move to a lower cost of living (COL) city in the South with their partner.
  • New Role: Transitioned to a senior FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) analyst position.
  • Financial Milestones: Used bonuses to pay off all student loans and saved over $120,000.
  • Personal Growth: Realized that the prestige and intense lifestyle of investment banking (IB) were not fulfilling and opted for a happier, more balanced life.
  • Gratitude and Well-Wishes: Expressed gratitude to the WSO community and wished everyone a great holiday season.

This summary highlights the user's journey from a non-target background to a successful career in finance, their decision to prioritize personal happiness over prestige, and their financial achievements.

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

Why all the monkey shit? You all do know you can pack up and hit the Midwest for an FP&A role at any time.

My point is… you may just circle back to corp dev, family office, small PE group, small banking group.

Especially after you get tired of sucking dick all day in your FP&A role so that you can get that $20k raise and title promotion.

Lots of ways to make money in this business that are not IB hours. Especially if you’re willing to move to somewhere besides NY or LA.

So. Have fun while in the honeymoon phase but my advice, and, based on your background, my guess is — you should also keep an eye on local job listings over the next few years.


Unless you just found the promise land of a nice fulfilling FP&A role. It’ll be less hours, less pay, same ass kissing, same bullshit.

 

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