Not liking my job

[Been there done that...]

To the OP.

I have been there. Big time. Believe me, its not worth it...let me tell you about my story and maybe it will help you figure some things out...

I was working in a large corporation in my very first job. I was fairly high up (worked directly in the CFO's office)...

I uncovered major corruption and as a result I ended up right smack in the middle of a huge criminal investigation that lasted several years. NO FUN AT ALL.

The physical toll was horrible. It sounds somewhat like your situation but mine was a lot worse I think...but you are going to have big problems if you continue. I had to take medication...and in the end it took me nearly 8 years to recover after having left the job.

The stress was so intense that I was having bloody noses and so on and so forth. The medication ultimately calmed me down and regulated my sleep...I never believed that much in that stuff before... but believe me.... I am definitely a believer now.

I was not even working for the company (obviously) anymore but the effects were very long lasting.

I was a lot like you...really going for it... trying to be in 'position' and so on... trying to live the 'dream' you get in business school...

When I walked around people would all look and talk about me. When I went places people would constantly approach me wanting to do business and giving me cards... free meals...nice cars... you name it. 

And on top of that I was living in a 6 bedroom penthouse (they paid for that not me)...all at the tender age of 23.

After I left that job...for me finding another job was not easy. I never to this day have recreated the same type of job for myself.

For several years I was working in other roles that honestly were not challenging for me at all...I went from the top of the heap to having a very average job...with very average pay. But during my healing time I honestly couldn't take another 'big' job anyway.

On one hand I want to say that you are in that job in a very bad time. Its just timing that is making it worse than usual. On the other hand I am tempted to say that it won't get any better...and all the issues with the wall street mentality definitely won't go away.

Now, for the good news...Before it was all said and done...I quit my mediocre job...I met a few people here and there...and they saw that I had potential. Those people ended up giving me $5m USD to start my own company.

No bosses. No deadlines. Nothing. My living was all paid for... my expenses covered... I was able to travel around at my own leisure whereever I wanted.... to count in the last two years or so I have been all around the world.... 15 countries or so....and I have never ever been happier in my whole entire life....

I didn't make a ton of money at it... but boy it certainly was fun and the potential for actual pay was substantially more than what I was getting in my 'top' job. The economy got the best of the company though....so I got kicked out of a job... didn't lose any of the seed money...but I wasn't making any either....

If you look at statistics something like 80% of millionaires are made from being an entreprenuer. The other 20% are from stuff like being CEO or whatever...

I came really close to becoming a self made millionaire myself already once... and I did it with flair... flying to Cape Town and eating like a prince while whale watching... and then off to Sydney to hang out on Bondi Beach....having meetings in the Phi Phi Islands over fishing and it was all expensed... I was living like a millionaire... and on my own schedule too...and I got paid to go.

I certainly got the bug for it now...so I know for sure which direction I want to take with my life ultimately. Right now though I am in haitus until I can plot my next move and until the economy can sustain me...right now though I have to put up with a normal joe job...but its only temporary...

The point being... don't put up with all that crap. Plot your next move and live life. Just that... LIVE LIFE. Those guys you work with all think they are the center of the universe...

If I were you I would take off a couple years and put everything you own into a backpack and just go see the world. If all your stuff won't fit in a backpack that just means you gotta throw some stuff away. I did it and it is extremely liberating and in the end you can see the whole world in a new and exciting light. The last part of that is probably the most exciting thing of it all.

Trust me when I say this...It will all be worth it in the end. Stop letting other people define you. In essence that is what is happening. They tell you that IB is the way to go...they all look up to IB people... IB makes all the money....

So in the end you do what is expected of you...

Do what I did. Tell everyone in a nice way to take a flying leap off a bridge and go have some fun. Blaze your own trail and you will be very happy that you did. Life is way too short to live in around a bunch of jerks being miserable in some cubicle.

When you stop living your life for money you can really start to live your life. I seriously cannot begin to tell you how much happier you will be when you figure that out.

[starvingindiancoder]

FWIW, and just to add a data-point, I recently quit an OK-paying job as a trading systems developer at an IB and am currently pursuing an entrepreneurial itch. I work about 5-6 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I've never been happier (or more productive!).

[denesh]

QUIT!!! its very difficult to excel and focus in things that u dont like to do...

[pursuit of happiness]

i think you need to have a balanced life with joy in both your personal and professional life.

investment banking is a meatgrinder which very few can sustain for a long time, particularly in places like NYC. places like singers, london, sfo are a bit easier to survive but it's still a dog-eat-dog mentality. And truthfully as someone who buys companies for a living, we use investment bankers mostly to get our *** and owners convinced about the strategy -we certaintly don't take the words of an investment banker at face value. what IB's give us is contacts, network and a cover of legitimacy so if it fails we get impunity if needed.

i'm a bit of a cynic when it comes to both management consultants and ib's as you probably can see... But when your on the top its certainly valuable to make sure you get an independent perspective to ensure your'e managing the troops and information isn't so filtered that your'e managed by the troops.

anyway, my advice for a happy professional life is to find a boss you really love working for, in a profession you're passionate about. IF those two work out then you're done.
if you chase money first and the other two second then you're just whoring yourself, and that leads to resentment in just about every person i've met (altough some people as said before in this thread have found ways to managing resentment by doing things outside of work to compensate).

good luck and take a bit of time to clear your head.

finally, before i sign off. your timing sucks, these are the things you should try to sort out during and up'n'up economy -not when it's as rough as it is right now....

[Lisk]

From the experiences of my wife and myself who have worked in various MNCs and govt linked companies, perhaps your job is crappy because of the local work culture?

We both hated our jobs and counted down to the days and minutes when we can get out of this place.