First-year analyst quitting without a job lined up
It has gotten so bad in my group. I have been staying up until 5am every night for the past few weeks working on pitch materials, not even live stuff. I am actively networking and applying to jobs but so far do not have interviews lined up. I’m completely exhausted though and my mental health is so bad that I just want to die most days. How bad would it be if I just quit and looked for jobs afterwards? I am worried that I won’t make as much headway in networking and applications if I am not currently employed.
Jesus, really sorry to hear this. For context, what type of bank / what group are you in? I've found that Analysts from TMT at BBs for instance tend to fare well in strategic finance / growth recruiting, but obv that's harder if you're coming from like MM Industrials.
If it's really that bad, I'd personally recommend just getting out now and dedicating your waking hours to networking and applying. Otherwise you risk staying on for another 3-4 months and then maybe getting something, at which point your bonus is just around the corner and it becomes harder to leave. I've been trying to recruit too, and it's really hard to get my foot in the door anywhere in this job market without making solid connections and networking. Hell, some places where I networked in November finally just got me into their processes. It's gonna be a grind, so whatever decision you make, just be fully committed to it.
I disagree — I think exits are way better after a full year, and that bonus $$$ is nothing to sneeze at. If he can hack it for 6 more months, OP should try and do an okay-ish job until reviews are in, coast, then quit the day the cash hits the bank account.
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Have you gotten a stub bonus yet?
I would just start fucking around and going to sleep when you feel like it, missing deadlines, letting emails fester, etc. while you hunt for a new job. They’re not going to fire you for a while, especially WFH. Even if you want to take a break between jobs, I’d still coast a bit in your current role first,
Don’t think we get stub bonuses. How exactly does one coast? I feel like I can’t not do the work or not respond to emails/calls. Do I just not pick up the phone when they call after a certain time?
Don’t answer emails after a certain time, be super unresponsive on weekends, miss calls, turn in work without double checking, do work as quickly as possible (don’t ever other think) but don’t send it until it’s chased, etc.
Mainly if you have a “I don’t care about getting fired” attitude, the job gets a lot less stressful, much easier, and way easier to compartmentalize for a few weeks/months.
I’d think about sticking around until bonus hits, then do the above, but up to you (you’d have to put in more effort for a few months).
Why don't you first just talk to your staffer, and explain the situation -- how you need to step off the gas for a mental break? He or she will hopefully be understanding, and realize you're being overworked.
Agree with this. Take a week off - full week - even if you can't schedule it for another month or two.
You are more useful to the firm at 70% effort than quitting so the staffer should be understanding.
Our staffer 100% does not care about us. It’s pretty clear based on the way that he talks about us that he views us as expendable labor, so I do not think he would allow me any time off.
Tell them you need some time off for mental health issues. If he says no, well, that puts the firm at a not insignificant amount of risk...
Just know you are not the only one who feels like this. I’m a AN1 at a sweaty MM industrials group and have similar feelings on the daily. Try to get through one week at a time, that’s the mentality I’ve taken.
Are you at a BB?
Talk to your staffer and if he really is not going to be helpful, I’d probably stop giving a shit and really throttle my efforts on projects so I can focus on recruiting.
No one is going to fire you within a few months for doing the bare minimum so I’d try not to quit so you can hit the 1 year mark
At some point you have to prioritize your own physical and mental wellbeing
I think you need to reassess your approach as opposed to quitting without actually addressing the issues first.
I guarantee with almost 100% certainty that if you're up until 5am everyday on pitch materials you're doing it to yourself. My recommendation would be to shut it off at 1-2am and do the incremental work in the morning. Provide a status update EOD and let them know ur wrapping it up in the am so they know where it's at.
There's no way these staffers are reviewing shit exactly at 9am and it can't wait till 1pm on a consistent basis. You're almost certainly making this hard on yourself by failing to communicate timelines and not sticking up for yourself.
I'm in a similar position to OP and while I understand and have even tried this approach several times, I don't think I actually have any say as an Analyst as to when I can finish things up. I've had some success pushing back on deadlines but ultimately I have two or three Associates or VPs hounding me for materials at any given time. They all say "Lets aim to have this in the MDs inbox by morning time", but when you have people on three accounts saying the same thing at once, it makes it difficult not to stay up until 5am even if you do manage to push back on one thing.
What's the solution? I've literally been telling my staffer I'm at 100% capacity and I still manage to get staffed on new accounts somehow. I've honestly started turning in shit work because I feel like it's impossible to work on 6-7 accounts, 2 of which are live, daily for weeks on end. Is there anything I can do or should I just accept the fact that I need to coast until bonus season? Also, rumors are going around that our bonuses got cut - does this take away any incentive for me to still until July/August?
Being on three bullshit things doesn't change the situation nor should it change the approach nor should it require you to be until 5AM. As I said, this is all due to shit communication by analysts constantly and not pushing back.
If you're on multiple things communicating is even more important. What do you say?
Hey [bitch ass] Associate/VP etc,
Thanks for the task below is my list of shit to do:
- xx BS task 1 - 2 hours
- xx BS task 2 - 3 hours
- xx BS task 3 - 6 hours
Looking at my list, I believe the current timeline is likely unachievable. Please let me know if I can reprioritize any of the above otherwise tomorrow morning will be more achievable. Will you keep you in the loop as I finish BS tasks 1-3.
Cheers [fuck you],
Analyst
If you still get bodied after managing upwards then it's a lost cause and you make the decision to A. stop caring, B. keeping caring but accelerate recruiting, C. some combination of A and B, D. quit.
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