Does anybody else get depressed when you get a call for a job that pays way below what you are looking for?

Market is telling you something. Adjust expectations.

Do whatever you want. You’re the one crying that no one is paying you what your worth. The market determines this, not what you think.

Best of luck.

So much city employee and India shade lol.

I am an undergraduate student from India majoring in Economics. I don't know much about finance like people here do, but I can totally relate to you. I have similar kind of frustrations because I also feel like I am worth more or I deserve better opportunities. I was looking for summer internships for past few months and was expecting some gig at some economic consultancy or some bank where I would use the knowledge I gained in past two years. I even found a few internships but you know what, they were asking for engineering undergrads or MBA students for the internships which a business or econ undergrad major should get. Opportunities for which I was selected were related to HR internships at banks and consultancies for which I refused offers because I think I am not going to waste my summer instead I started preparing for GMAT. I don't want to be the guy who called you for the job offer in future instead I want to be like you but less frustrated.

Recently I saw some master in finance programs in the USA and wrote emails to them and almost all of the good schools told me that they don't recognize three year bachelor's degree from India. My dream of having a better life with a meaningful career got shattered and I asked myself if I deserve this. I study at a good university not as good as American universities but I am sure I am having a good education and one of the best in my country. Today I literally cried in my room for hours.

When I was a kid I used to save every Indian rupee I can because i belonged to a poor family and used that money to buy some shares through my grandpa's account in some Indian company. Luckily it was 2009-10 and markets all over the world were rising after the crisis. Slowly my interest in stock market increased and I started having big dreams of becoming a fund manager like Peter Lynch when I grow up to help families with low income to protect their wealth by investing money on their behalf. I was 13 then and I didn't even know the concept of target schools until I joined my final year of high school. I have been saving and investing my own money since I was a kid and often I think I am a better than most people but this experience or knowledge has not came in handy for finding or getting my desired job. There are times I am angry on someone else to get an internship because he had some kind of contact whereas I have better skills and knowledge and I dont get hired. This is how things work in real life and I did not accept it with time which was wrong on my part. Not every time labor economics will work nor our own expectations from the job market are going to be a reality. I don't know about your job but I want to encourage you to keep looking for things and one day you will find the job of your dreams. I wasted a few weeks thinking about wrong things and in frustration. I am going to start planning now and male some new friends here so that I can work on my goals and try to match them with reality or at least have a happy life. I hope you will do the same. I recently finished reading a book called Defining Decade by Meg Jay. I liked this book and I recommend it to you. I am guessing you are in late twenties or early thirties so there's still time to have a better job but you need to find what gap you need to fill so that you can have the job. Good luck!

lead garbage man lmaooo truth. real talk garbage boys make 80k base starting out and so do cops, firemen, and so forth. not saying these are undesirable careers (almost became a cop myself) but they don't take 4 year degrees and 70-100 consistent hour work weeks. i haven't been to a happy hour in over a year, some garbage man is eating my $1 oysters..

I have had similar thoughts in the past, e.g. I graduated from school X but only landed job Y with salary Z. but ultimately came to realize this kind of thinking is a WASTE OF TIME. Not in the sense of "Let me just accept my dire situation, I am actually worthless, it was all for nothing" etc. but in a completely different sense. It is a waste of time because that thinking never actually changes your situation, except for that it makes you bitter. Some would argue this bitterness drives you to work harder, but let me tell you that a positive attitude is actually way more productive in the long run. Appreciate where you are, and TRUST that you will get to where you really deserve to be. IF YOU PUT IN THE WORK AND ADD MORE VALUE THAN YOUR PEERS, IT WILL BE RECOGNIZED and you will move on to greater things. Someone will recognize your ability to add value, this is finance after all.

Stop feeling entitled, start feeling grateful, add value any way you can, and keep on working hard. That is a 99% guaranteed way to get whatever salary you can dream of down the road.

On a side note, I have a friend in recruiting for finance positions, and they basically call anyone and everyone remotely qualified, then low-ball the hell out of them. Think about it from their perspective.

One alternate note to consider: If you are in New York, it is now illegal to ask people what they currently earn. This means they can ask your expectations only. Because people who are making $350k will often ask for $1MM and items completely ludicrous, employers will often start with a low offer to get someone to reveal what they actually earn or get a closer hint at their true reserve price.

Getting butt hurt about it and hanging up does you literally zero good. Play the game or continue getting paid like shit.

How much do you think internal valuation roles pay?

I was hired for work and on the following day they were sent me a job offer where the salary was much lower than the original salary