Overwhelmed here, words of wisdom would help
Hey guys!
I graduated in December 2018. I worked at a small boutique IB that mainly specialized in ESOP. I had an offer but I did not want to go back because I have no interest in ESOP.
Since my graduation I have struggled with health issues and have been working on that. They were so bad that it took a toll on my mental health as well.
Here I am now.. a non-finance grad (Art History, honestly didn't have a choice with my major, long story) with finance experience, from a target school. I haven't really networked in months. At times I am a bit insecure about my major and I just don't know what to do.
As far as internship recruiting, I killed it at recruiting events, and phone interviews, I had multiple super days with some great firms, but I did not secure a summer analyst position and ended up at a small firm in Chicago.
Right now, I am feeling like there is no hope. Maybe I am being cynical... I need someone to kick my ass.
Any words of wisdom will help, please. I am a bit overwhelmed.
You know what you need to do. Network! Call up your old classmates. Call up your coworkers. Call up career services at your school. Get a job that will let you lateral in, like something at Deloitte or a management consulting firm. Even working at Huron is better than sitting on your ass.
Give yourself a timeline, if you haven't found a job by x-date, call it quits and go do something else. Do that for 3-5 years, build a solid resume, and then get your MBA so you can come in as an associate.
Remember, you always have a choice. A lot of your story involves things being thrown at you - health issues, mental health issues, your major, the firm you eventually landed at. From the way you write, you've been a passive actor in your own story. Stop that and take charge.
You still have their contact info? Rank them by who is most likely to give you a favorable response. Then reach out in the way that is most favorable to them, whether that's meeting for coffee, having a phone call, etc.
How severe were your health issues? Say you were recovering. Maybe you were pursuing a passion project? We had a guy leave my Chicago firm to go play drums in a semi-well known band, but he came back. Maybe you were exploring other careers, like putting that art history major to work and comparing Magritte to Bosch.
As long as you can say you were doing something other than sitting in your basement, alternating between WSO and Pornhub, you're fine.
I was in a similar situation at one point. Just looked around and was so confused and worried about what was going on in my life. Here's what I did:
Just put in the effort, and you'll get through it.