How did you know what you want to do?

Clocks here,

I've been doing Corp banking at a tier 2 bank for a year, not a huge fan of the function or the firm. So, I've been trying to move into IB. I've had some good traction, but nothing has come through. So I went to my mentor to ask him why things haven't shaken out.

My mentor asked me what I wanted to do. I gave him the usual, "I want to work in IB to get a stamp on my resume, do quantitative work, excel, revolvers and term loans are boring, complex transactions, etc." And, As he gave me a verbal beatdown for my pretty weak answer, it dawned on me, I have no idea what I want, or at least that I can't put it into words.

I was wondering how everyone here would answer that question and what filters you used to figure it out.

 
Most Helpful

Do not feel like you are behind others since you do not know what to do. This is the #1 question that everyone asks in their mid-20s.

But honestly, this is a very hard question to answer. You really have to dig in deep to figure out what you liked doing or were good at when you were a kid.

People in their 20s just do not have much experience to figure out what they are rally passionate about. I would say that you become passionate in what you are good at, even if you were not passionate about it in the beginning.

Try out a new career or find a job that exposes you to multiple industries (ie. consulting / generalist banking). The more exposure you get to a variety of things, the easier it becomes to figure out what you are most interested in.

Would go read finance blogs to figure out if it is something that is interesting to you. Hearing what other people say about what they liked / disliked about their past experiences is super helpful. Buyside Hustle is a good one for banking / buyside life.

 

still don't know what i want to do.

i'm just pretty risk averse, in a perfect world i'd be a sleight of hand stage magician.

"we do not reach the peaks of these mountaints, without first learning to give up our want to surrender" - shanke koyzcan
 

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