Working for a startup and I can't tell whether I'm in a sweet spot or not

I am a finance student and I have three more years to graduate.

I landed an internship at an e-commerce company and have been working there since June. Recently, I got a full-time offer and they are willing to make the hours flexible for me so I can do both school and work when I get back to my classes.

The company is new and the revenue is small (think 5m-10m), but the profit margins are sweet (think 15%-20%) even though it is in the growth section right now and there are a lot of expenses.

I mainly do basic monkey work: boring, monotonous, repetitive tasks all day long. As a person with ADHD, that is very hard for me. Sometimes I feel like I am literally being tortured to death. I get physical pain in my brain, but the work needs to get done so I do it.

I do not enjoy the work because it is not mentally stimulating. Even though the work is simple, it drains my energy a lot because it requires a lot of focus. At the end of the day, I feel like crap and I crash on my bed real hard. This makes me feel bad because I cannot focus on my side projects. Those products I am doing are the reason why I always kept a very healthy mindset. I like keeping my mind active, but I cannot do it as often as I did before I took this job.

I am in the decision-making team in the company right now. I can change things in my own way and if they are more efficient, we keep them. I like being able to get my thinking into action and then see the fruits.

The pay is eh right now. I do not think I get paid enough for the hours I am working.

The company is growing fast and it has solid suppliers. I imagine it would start hitting 15mil a year in the next two years and with it, I can grow too. I have three years until I graduate and I reckon I could get paid at least 130k by then. It is possible and I am going to be the senior in the company.

My manager is nice. He is a very understanding person and we work efficiently. We did not have any problems so far.

Considering I am studying at a semi-target and the difficulty of breaking into high finance from the school I am attending, when I assess the situation and create a pros and cons list, it makes more sense to work in the current job I am doing and really give myself to it.

But here is the problem: I just cannot do it. For me, to do something, I have to see my future in that thing and I have to be really passionate about it. Otherwise, I cannot do it. I lose interest and after some time, I just snap and leave the situation. Even though I could be a senior in a future unicorn startup and make bank in the next 10 years, I cannot really grind hard.

My passion is public markets and I like everything about them. Researching, analyzing trends, and macroeconomic events are joy to me. I cannot tell you how much dopamine I get after reading a well-written article in WSJ. Hell, one of my professors worked at Jane Street and the conversations we had were very thrilling. I want to be in an environment like that and meet people like him.

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

 

Inventore fuga dolorem accusantium aspernatur voluptate sed. Reprehenderit consectetur ut nisi qui. Dolorem ipsum tenetur repellendus. Beatae velit ea eaque tenetur.

Aperiam quis numquam sed earum. Sit unde et enim voluptas. Ullam odit modi qui ducimus omnis consequatur.

Eum amet similique incidunt. Cupiditate dolor dolorem est repudiandae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
Kenny_Powers_CFA's picture
Kenny_Powers_CFA
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...”