Reset my life at 30

All,
Till recently my life was set and my career was progressing well. I was in the US, working on a visa in equity research and had just made a switch to a new firm. Due to some new regulations passed by Trump, my work visa wasn't extended and I had to head back home (think one of the Central African countries).

The last 12 months of my life have been rotten. There are no capital markets to speak of in my country, and very little employment opportunities. I feel very down and out, with nothing in my control. I feel as if luck has left my side. I never thought that I would see this day, after working my ass off during MBA and throughout my 20s.

Even though I am no longer drinking heavily every day, I am somewhat depressed and out of ideas about what to do with my life. I have $200k in savings right now, and I was looking for some inspiration about how to reset my life?

 

Can't you do equity research? Solo if necessary...

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

I tried but MIFID has really screwed over EQR there.

In all honesty, I could start my own little business here BUT I feel like my talents would go to waste and I would regret it for the rest of my life, if things dont go well.

 
Best Response

Gio,

Sorry to hear about your occupational crisis. Just curious as to whether you could re-apply to get your visa re-instated. One of the guys that work for me is from Bolivia and has been here for 3 years. I work in the engineering field, and have no idea of any of his particulars, but I believe he is working to become a permanent citizen.

Regardless, you made reference to drinking heavily. Speaking for experience, if you are depressed, adding copious quantities of alcohol will only exacerbate your problems. Above all else, for your sake, I do hope you've been able to get that under control. I've seen more than one person in my career who have essentially lost their entire career due to one mishap that were direct results of excessive alcohol consumption.

Don't want to type a manifesto, but at 30, and w/ $200k in savings and a MBA, you do have options that many, many people will never have. I have no idea about the business community in Central America, but I would think that if you started looking in earnest to restart your career, the MBA opens numerous avenues that are otherwise not open. If you have your passport, can you not look elsewhere around the globe for opportunities?

The only concrete advice I could offer you immediately is to get off the sauce and stay off. You can't know from the inside looking out, but others who are on the outside looking in can see when people are struggling personally. Companies do not want to invest in people whom they think they will have to address their personal issues as well as their professional performance. Sounds cold, but private companies are in business to make money.

Best wishes. Get completely sober, exercise daily, eat well and put a plan together. Sounds like I'm being flippant, but as the old saw goes: "Plan your work and work your plan." Good luck

 

Yes, I was going to say that. Its pretty bad, in terms of economic opportunities.

As far as languages are concerned, English is the only foreign language I know. BUT I do have the opportunity to move to Canada. But then again, even If I do move, I have to restart my life all over again and I just dont know how to set my life goals now? I feel I need a concrete plan to execute, but emotionally I am exhausted to come up with a life plan myself.

 

Maybe not a clear answer but here's an avenue to explore. While your specific country may not have any capital markets, what about other nearby African nations. Lots of banks sometimes have hubs that cover larger international regions - take for example somewhere like Budapest where there is a decent bit of banking for the entire region. Estonia might not have much of a capital market for example, but I can almost guarantee that someone is following those equities from London or Budapest.

Other thing to keep in mind is the backgrounds of other ER guys outside the first world. Just go on LinkedIn and find a few - they're basically all folks that went to the US or London and then went back to their home countries for one reason or another. So on the one hand, the number of openings is very small. On the other hand, the qualified talent pool in those countries with real London or US IB/ER experience is almost non-existent. There are basically zero homegrown candidates.

 

Really sorry to hear about what's happened to you. My family is from Nicaragua, which is economically similar to countries in Central Africa, and I can't imagine what it would be like if one of us had to return unwillingly.

To echo previous comments, do not drink. I know from personal experience that drinking, especially the subsequent hangovers, magnifies depression 10 fold. Things will eventually get better and only then should you have another beer.

Also, in response to the possibility of working in a neighboring country, I think that it's your best bet for the time being. You would have to do your own research on this but my understanding is that major American banks have operations in South Africa and Nigeria. One time, JPM had a IB associate program in Johannesburg. If that doesn't work, there are certainly many opportunities across banking and other industries in the Middle East. In other words, there is still a lot of opportunity out there for you.

Finally, keep your head up. Being from Miami, a city that feels like downtown Caracas, I see people in your situation all the time. Many leave but they almost all return. If coming back is what you want then it's only a matter of time.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

 

As others have mentioned, the EU and Canada are a good bet. Alternatively, the UAE is one of the best places for you to look into in terms of the laxness of visa policies as well as the abundance of opportunities in finance.

If that doesn't work out, I would highly recommend looking into World Bank -- particularly IFC -- positions in your home country or in the Central Africa region. In particular, check out IFC Investment Officer positions. It requires an MBA, 4+ years of finance experience, etc., all of which you seem to have. It's relatively prestigious, well-paid, and is probably one of the best finance positions you can get in Central Africa.

 

i would not recommend canada. the finance industry has excess supply and wages are not great. consider South Africa, it can still be close to your family and they have a deep capital markets pool + many professional funds and banks. passive investing wont become a thing there, the index is filled with garbo tier mining companies so there is value in stock picking.

 

Sorry to hear about that. Was in the same shoe as you. Had to pack my bags and leave New York in 2012 due to work visa issues. Moved back to Southeast Asia after 10 years living in the US - so I can understand how you feel.

Have you thought about joining AIIB/ World Bank/ IFC as Country Manager or local Chief Investment Officer to deploy soft loans either in your country and/or within the region?

 

Theres a lot of consultancies that work for USAID and other international development organizations in the MENA region and elsewhere in Africa. It'd definitely be way different from finance, but they need people who have a combination of business-evaluation skills as well as people that know how to roll out projects and do monitoring & evaluation (M&E) on endeavors that grant money is going towards.

Array
 

Joburg has a large finance community and is pretty much the HQ for overseas private investment in Africa. Any prospect of moving there?

I sympathize with your situation. Must really suck to work hard and have your career on track, but get derailed by a change in immigration policy, forcing you back home where relevant opportunities are very limited.

 

Lots of good advice in this thread, avoid the alcohol and stay positive. As long as you remain persistent and tenacious it's unlikely that you won't be able to rebound from this.

Canada, Europe, Dubai, and South Africa are all great choices and if ER is hurting in the EU look into opportunities on the buyside or making the transition from ER to IB/S&T as many at my firm -- and in my office -- have done.

In a few years you'll look back at this and laugh -- it will also make for a great story.

Best of luck.

"Well, you know, I was a human being before I became a businessman." -- George Soros
 

You can always choose self-extermination.
Remember, it's a "postitive act" that you can choose to undertake at any time. It's always in your power. No one can tell you otherwise. In the meantime, hopefully you find something that distracts you from such an option.

Travel is a nice mental antidote. Worked for me.

===

This is by far the BEST response. Those saying "oh don't kill yourself" etc have never been there. To hear the specious advice thrown around from unbridled (silly) optimists is ignorant and dangerous.

 

Try Canada or Australia (mb) I have some friends who are international and were able to get jobs in Canda and then transfer to the USA ( if you decide to return).

As an international student myself, I totally understand your position right now. Best of luck in finding yourself again and getting a job. Looks like you are a smart guy, so hopefully, you will not have too many troubles finding a job.

 

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just google it...you're welcome

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