Undergrad worried about ageism + job security

I'm a current undergrad math major with 2 BB fixed income trading internships (one last year, one upcoming). Recently, I've been talking to some of my friends on the premed track and thinking about the future of S&T with AI + layoffs + ageism has me a bit worried. Doctors have no risk of layoffs/ageism and can work until they choose to stop, whereas traders/salespeople/bankers clearly have more risk on this (e.g. all of the traders on my desk rotations last summer were 45 or younger).

I'm seriously considering a major pivot to take steps towards medical school, but this feels a bit drastic given my experience. Obviously, there's no telling I would actually like medicine and would be miserable as well, but I faced this decision before and chose finance probably because it was more "available" to me (clubs, friends/family in the industry, early recruiting timeline, internship salaries and paying for school).

I think I ultimately want to be reassured that I won't be left unemployed with a mortgage at age 50 and will continue being able to work in a career I love (markets/trading), but this anxiety has been eating at me. Does anyone have any advice on how to approach these thoughts/concerns? Thank you in advance!

3 Comments
 

Bold of you to assume robots won't take the role of surgeons by the time you finish medical school.

The point is it is a bad idea to base your career off of guessing what the world looks like in 15 years.

 
Most Helpful

There are a bunch of cushy but not particularly glamorous roles that having a decade of market experience will help with. Boring stuff like compliance or operations where ageism isn't as prevalent. They won't earn as much as a doctor with decades of experience might, but they are still steady. And hey, if you actually have a multi-decade career in trading and save responsibly, you may not need to work in your fifties. Being a doctor, assuming one can get into and through med school, has always been the most stable upper middle class career. Finance just gives the opportunity to earn big without debt and years of med school/residency first.

 

Consequatur iste in illum magni magni soluta. Consequatur totam ut consectetur et. Dolorem at dolore aperiam ea a cupiditate. Ratione voluptates qui ratione qui voluptas. Non vel quia ex accusamus magnam porro. Amet omnis esse ducimus corporis non at voluptatem.

Dolores ut non dolorum cum. Consequatur repudiandae id repudiandae. Deleniti quas odit aspernatur. Libero sequi quo sint corrupti id.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”