Hi,
Need to let some steam out and seek advice.
Since freshman year, I have channeled my life toward breaking into investment banking. I did several internships, barrelled through 'the ladder' (Big 4 -> EB -> BB) and finally ended up with a BB SA stint, which I'm confident I'm going to convert into a FT position. However, while I was climbing the ladder, I became increasingly uninterested in IB. Almost like pursuing a girl and then losing interest in her after 'the chase.' One thing that's really putting me off are the people working in IB. Some are wisenheimers, some are overbearing, some are try-hards, only few are interesting. But nearly all of them constantly talk about their work: during breaks, on weekends, on nights out. I could never imagine being friends with any one of them. I'm not genuinely interested in reading FT/ WSJ or anything M&A related like all the other finance people I know.
If what I spend most of my spare time on is any indication, I love reading about and watching US politics, and I love academic studies. Unfortunately, it's those two things that don't benefit me in any monetary way (not a US citizen, not living in the US). I contemplated doing a PhD, but the salary is meagre and tenure is almost impossible. A PhD might also be merely an infatuation; I wouldn't even know if I liked it in the long-term.
During my last IB internship I ordered a book on US history by one of my favorite historians. My associate saw it lying on my desk and later made a remark that really stuck me. He said that while my broad interests were admirable, I should face reality and be aware that an IB career will drain me and make me lose interest in anything other than IB. This comment was like a presage to me. I don't want to end up like this.
(I don't mean to disparage IB at all, and I don't mean to sound condescending to others who might genuinely aspire to work in IB but were unlucky to break in (yet). I'm pretty much aware of my relatively privileged situation in today's environment.)
Would be interested to know if someone was in a similar situation. What did you do, what would you do?
That associate can suck a dick. I've found there are people in IB who will disparage you for having interests outside of ib and finance and an equal number of people who will disparage you for the exact opposite. I personally don't care because I'm doing ib for my own interest and to achieve my own goals. As such, my advice would be to either grind it out and exit in 2 years like most other people but if you truly have no interest in business/finance you're probably best suited to do something you wanna do. No point in suffering for an end that you don't even desire.
Sounds like that associate suffers from a classic case of insecurity and over confidence - I’ve seen it before. Honestly, I really enjoy speaking with people about their true passions / interests, as it gives me an opportunity to learn about them and connect with them, while also broadening my knowledge base.
People like that can go kick rocks.
Stupid ASO for sure..don't let your peers/superiors define you or their words touch you in any way. You'll meet many different kinds of ppl in banking and the truth is that this jobs requires no emotions. Just do it for you, if you feel like doing it. Otherwise you can spend a year if you return FT and then just leave to sth more interesting. You can also use that 1 year to find out what actually interests you more. A surprisingly high percentage of people are in that bucket.. optionality is key here
awww, it's like a baby @neink :)
You can definitely have varied interests during IB, etc. — there’s just no guarantee you’ll have time to pursue them.
What was the book?
Team of Rivals
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