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L'Avenir Inconnu · Newbie Joined: 31 Aug 2007 Posts: 3 Career Advice: +0/-0

Hello everyone,

I've been drawn to this site mainly from the uncertainty of my future. I'm currently facing a decision that will determine what will become of my life. First, let me tell you about myself:

I am an 18 year old male.

I grew up in Vancouver, Canada, one of the most beautiful cities in the world (in my opinion anyways). Both my parents work in IT departments in which my father is quite senior. Considering my parents' background, a science and technology related career was their main recommendation for me, putting mathematics as the most important subject in school.

Throughout highschool, I had a more simple, romanticized view on life. I felt that a man was rich if he had a large salary but even richer if he had a loving wife. Even so, I worked really hard in school for an then unknown reason.. just because I could. In my final year, once I got accepted into quite a prestigious university (Imperial College London in the UK), I relaxed a bit and occasionally used marijuana with my closest friends (in the most innocent way one can imagine). From here, I knew I didn't want to be part of the office job norm and do something different with my life. I had no idea what.

College started as I began my first year in Electrical Engineering. At first, I must say that I chose the course because my father studied it as well. Back in highschool I wasn't sure about my future and I regret not thinking more about it before choosing a college major. However, EE at Imperial provides great job prospects but I wasn't so interested in the subject. I respect my professors but did not want to grow up to be them. Also, working in the EE industry did not appeal to me since starting employees often did work such as checking calculations and "grunt" work as they call it. Even so, when exams came about, the intense stress and determination came with it (and so did the huge amounts of coffee). I worked harder than I ever thought possible. During this period, my view on the world changed. I developed a temporary type-A personality and admired Napoleon Bonaparte for being the small military student who rose to becoming an emperor.

Also, I was introduced to what kind of opportunities an EE graduate has. Popular career paths include: Industry, Research, IT and Investment Banking.

Currently, I have finished one year of college and still working hard (in my engineering course) towards the investment banking stream hoping to land a spot in M&A in a bulge bracket I-Bank, preferably Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley. I was so excited about this career path and my new found goal that I began to identify with such banks since it gave me a reason to excel in EE.

However, after doing some research, I found that investment bankers:
-Earn huge bonuses (if performing well)
-work in a meritocratic, competitive environment
-Can maintain their "elite" status after leaving the "elite" universities
-Can earn 6 figure salaries (in GBP) before the age of 30

BUT:
-work 60+ hrs a week avg(meaning 12 hrs a day, 5 days a week... aka either no external life or no sleep... is this accurate?)
-Are under constant stress and often deal with egotistical, self-important colleagues and managers
-Are at risk due to a lack of a guaranteed fixed income
-MUST Love what they're doing to be really successful

Investment Banking is definitely my best chance and my perfectly planned route to extreme "success" in terms of career path and wealth. However, the long hours, high stress, and chance of not liking the job make me wonder whether I will be handing my life over to banking. Anyways, my lifetime is finite and if I spend 12 hrs a day, 5+ days a week on a stressful job (which I may or may not like) from my mid 20's until I retire, won't I be missing out on life no matter how much money I make? If I learn to love I-banking, thats great, but if I don't.... my life will end when I finish college, become a cash machine, and return as a senior citizen to live off the money. The day before I die, what will I think about my life as a whole?

.. however, I think I'm able to work hard, handle stress, and be proud of my success if I learn to love the industry and the adrenaline of the challenge (of course I would need coffee to do that...)

Is there anyone that can help me with my situation?

Randy

quote="L'Avenir Inconnu"

I am an 18 year old male.

Eighteen and already feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders. Man, modern society has done one hell of a bang-up job on screwing with young people. You're supposed to be out having fun, getting laid, that sort of thing. But no, in a world where everything's about MONEY, all that's changed.

Throughout highschool, I had a more simple, romanticized view on life. I felt that a man was rich if he had a large salary but even richer if he had a loving wife.

Yep, you understood the difference between "wealth" and being "rich." Recapture that understanding and never let go. I'm 55. You are right, it's the rest of the world that's gone stark raving insane.

From here, I knew I didn't want to be part of the office job norm and do something different with my life. I had no idea what.

I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow-up, except that I don't want to "grow up" if it means being a stuffy-assed, miserable "suit" or on call 24 hours a day or however you want to explain the thing.

I respect my professors but did not want to grow up to be them.

You are so very wise! That which you are taught in school is rarely as important as what you learn! And you seemed to have learned a very valuable lesson.

However, after doing some research, I found that investment bankers:...

Sign a deal with devil. That's what you're trying to say.

make me wonder whether I will be handing my life over to banking.

Yes, that's exactly what you'll be doing. But hey, you can take a cruise for a few weeks a year to try to balance the rest of your life you spend working, working, working.

Anyways, my lifetime is finite and if I spend 12 hrs a day, 5+ days a week on a stressful job (which I may or may not like) from my mid 20's until I retire, won't I be missing out on life no matter how much money I make?

Yes. So it's like this: Your money or your life? Choose.

The day before I die, what will I think about my life as a whole?

It will be filled with regrets for all those things you wanted to have done because you were too damned busy fulfilling everyone else's notions of what "success" means. In short, you'll look back and say, "That sucked!"

Is there anyone that can help me with my situation?

Not really. This is your life.

Choose love and happiness over money, every time. That's all I know. Others see it differently. But damned if they aren't a dismal bunch of people. Uptight, paranoid, worried to death they might lose everything. Who wants to live that way?

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