Is it really worth it?
The pathway into a high profile career in Accounting Finance or Consulting is a tough one. At least four years of academics while fighting for co-op placements, utilizing any remaining hours to fill up a resume with extra-curriculars. All to get a hiring manager to take a chance on you. If you’re lucky enough, you’re given the opportunity to prove yourself in a junior role, where you learn what ten to twelve hour days feel like as you navigate new systems, fill in knowledge gaps, and learn the politics of the corporate ladder. At some point along this tenacious journey, you have to stop and wonder, is it really worth it?
This question is an important one, and one that is rarely considered thoroughly until you’re deep in the trenches. Motivations can range from the promise of early financial freedom to the feeling of being seen as important, to the simple enjoyment of working on complex problems. Whatever the reason, it’s important to spend time really understanding the motivations behind your career.
There is a lot of noise in the financial services world, and it’s important to reflect on which of your motivations are internal, and which stem from external sources. Internal motivations can be characterized by alignment with personal values, pursuing passions and interests, and realizing your true potential (self-actualization). External sources such as working hard to impress others can be valuable, but doing this unconsciously can lead to feeling trapped, and create unbearable pressure. Questioning the rationale that we tell ourselves is important to ensure we are being true to ourselves and not justifying something that shouldn’t be. This can look like stretching yourself beyond your true capacity under the rationalization that others don’t seem to be struggling so you shouldn’t be either.
After reflecting on what guides you unconsciously and figuring out where you actually want to go, we arrive at the existential paradox of freedom and responsibility. The paradox is that you have a great deal of freedom to do whatever it is you like, but you are also charged with the responsibility of doing something with that freedom. I think it’s a relevant concept for these high profile industries because at times, control and freedom really do feel restricted, and it can be hard to fathom the idea of standing up for yourself and choosing what your path forward looks like. Feeling constantly responsible for your own outcomes can feel daunting, but it can also be a source of agency and empowerment that lets you feel like you have control over yourself.
Bringing in existentialism can give meaning to work that sometimes feels empty, and can create a sense of identity when you feel like a small cog in a large machine. Whether you’re wrestling with what path feels right, or you know what you want but aren’t sure how to pursue it, I’m happy to have this conversation. When was the last time you stopped and really thought about what you want?