Anyone else already feel burnt out and in college?
I go to a top Ivy and have a good GPA, and can't tell you the number of times I've stayed up into the wee hours of the night, or pulled all-nighters, to get work done, whether that means writing a paper or doing problem sets. I feel pretty exhausted, and I'm starting to think that maybe the high-stress, long-hours lifestyle in investment banking isn't for me. I worked at a MM IB FO role last summer, and am returning this summer, and really had a terrible time. I'm going to do my best to work in investment banking or consulting for a couple years, and then I'm going straight to something with manageable hours and lower stress, like maybe corporate development or something like that. I feel like I would really enjoy just working a 9-5 or 9-6 with weekends off.
I realized recently that I don't aspire to become wealthy. My real goals are just to be able to afford the rent on a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in a nice city without roommates by the time I'm in my late 20s, and be able to purchase a used BMW at some point. I don't even necessarily need to live in New York, as I think I would be just as content in what people describe as second- or third-tier cites. That's really all I want in life. And I guess have enough money to eat out occasionally, and pay for my phone.. I don't plan on getting married, and especially don't plan on ever having children. Also, I will be making around $10K a year passively from an index fund when I graduate, so I would imagine that'll help to pay part of my rent.
I know it's bad to be this burnt out and only in college, because the real world is going to be a lot harder. I know my parents definitely had a lot more motivation when they were my age. But is it really that bad to just live an ordinary, low stress life like this?
Perhaps you can look into the securitization business? The hours are “relatively” more tolerable.
Bad? Of course it's not bad. We all, at one point or another, settle into roles that match our ambition and capabilities (either by choice or not). If you know now that the trade-off of a lot of hours and high stress for high comp and career opportunities doesn't net out for you, then shoot, don't pursue that life just because a bunch of other people are doing it.
But. BUT. I have found in my own career that it's about way more than comp-- what I've essentially "bought" myself by trading a decade of my life to high-stress, long-hour roles is the freedom to not have to be in a job I hate anymore. I value that more than the comp or the hours, and I could give two shits about the prestige. But had I let off the gas after what I found to be a grueling undergrad experience, I'd probably have eliminated myself from contention for the types of roles that make me happy now.
My calculus isn't yours; I know what I like, and I like certain problems and certain types of people and making a life for me and for my wife that we enjoy. Also, my tolerance for what I see as suboptimal in any of those categories is slim. Your balance of how you value all those things is going to tell you what makes sense to pursue for your career. But be careful to try to understand the long-term consequences of your choices, not just the short-term.
You aren't really truly burnt out at this point. I see you're planning a fairly modest future life, I go through that a lot as well. I've met truly burnt people and they really do not care where they end up in life, at some point you will and you'll wish you had kept going. There'll be plenty of opportunities to slow your role later, but if you don't push hard at least until the end of college, you'll spend the rest of your life wishing you had just sprinted to the end.
Stop trying to plan everything out, you're stressing yourself out worrying about how hard your future will be. Just focus on doing your best now, and you will be able to re-evaluate later in the future. You can quit at anytime, there's no force pushing you into a certain life. Just kill college, then take a year travelling Europe or East Asia or something. A strong GPA from an Ivy will be worth the extra effort now.
You hated the position, and you’re going back this summer? It sounds like you just don’t enjoy the stress or finance, so I’d take advantage of the the point you’re at in life (prestigious UG with many options). Find out what you actually enjoy (corporate finance, engineering, real estate, computer science, etc.) and pursue it while you still have the opportunity to switch very easily.
If you’re burnt out in UG, you’re going to be fundamentally unhappy when you’re even more burnt out while working banking hours.
I agree with this. I’m only an undergrad too, but just from talking with various people in different industries, there are so many different options, especially coming from an Ivy. This is a Finance forum, but is banking really worth it if you hate your time there? That’s up to you.
Maybe you should study abroad in the summer and take a break, knock out some courses.
The fact that you are talking about being burnt out at this stage indeed means you are probably not (yet), which is an awesome thing because you need to take care of our energy in order to sustain it for longer. I would also agree that it is good to think through whether what you are doing at the moment is the right thing for you or take a "break" with a year/semester abroad to get some new inspiration.
We all know the real reason you're up late is because you're playing Fortnite.
In all seriousness, life is about preparation. You clearly worked hard in high school to get into an ivy league. Why ivy? It's because you knew it would set you up for future success, despite whether or not you want to conquer the world or work 9-5. You also worked hard as an IB intern and are returning again this summer. Stick with it, and try to get a full time offer. IB will set you up for a lot of opportunities including corporate development, if you even still want that in a couple years.
Your career and life plans WILL change as time goes on, no doubt about that. You're already on a great path, keep it up and give it your all
You need to get laid, like BAD.
But in all seriousness, take it easy on yourself. Lay off the adderall and the all nighters. I used to pull a lot of all nighters in college, but it was really because I never learned how to study effectively.
Ask yourself, do you actually like the work in and around ibanking, consulting, et al? Or is it a means to end? Was it that particular bank/culture? Or was it the work? I worked at a regional boutique for a bit and it was honestly great. Reasonable hours, got close to deals, and ultimately learned a lot. That being said, there are plenty of other career paths where you can pull down 6 figs relatively early in life.
I am finishing my Freshman year at a non-target. I've been grinding away and definitely have had to work significantly harder to earn good grades than I have back in high school and elementary school.
I definitely feel the burn sometimes, and had moments of doubt, but I am looking at the bigger picture of what I want to accomplish in the future. I figure if I work hard now, as some of the other replies in the comments to your original post suggest, I will be able to enjoy life later to my liking.
All that I can suggest for you is, whether you decide again that you are willing to pursue banking or decide on something completely different, do not let your foot off the gas. Think about how far you have gone, and how close you are (college goes by fast).
Especially given that you are at a top Ivy - it is hard, but well-worth the rewards that come after if you can set yourself up right. Don't ease up right before you hit the finish line.
When I'm tired, sometimes I think about the future and think "that's WAY too much to do".
Then I go to sleep and when I wake up, everything seems possible again. Take a break. You and your dreams will be better for it.
Yeah, there have been times in life where you pretty much have every 30mins booked, including sleep. You can't deviate, if you go to sleep late you're like 'fack!', cause you know you will be drowsy in the morning without a decent break out of schedule for the next 11 days or something, but somehow you get by and when that break comes up where you can sleep in or chill out for a bit, you look back and realize all you have accomplished.
Everyone feels burnt out in the moment, but if you're headed in the right path, just make it to the next meeting or meal and you'll get there. If you don't go through that burnt out feeling, you're on cocaine.
I'm in the opposite situation. I feel bored all the time and like I have nothing to do (even when I have a lot of things to do). I'm at a semi-target though so maybe that's the reason.
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