Related Posts
More Posts
Best mentoring advice you were given?
Bowl Leader
Additional Posts in Finance
Happy Monday! Heads be rollin today 🙃
What's your "I'm in Finance stereotype" moment?
Most expensive expensed dinner?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Pro
Nothing wrong with a break especially if you have financial back up for in between.
Come to the best coast, my (anecdotal) impressions are that even in grindy type jobs, it’s a bit more chill on the west coast.
Heard this too
This is really an NYC problem, I’d definitely look for roles in mid sized cities.
much better quality of life and much more affordable on unemployment.
What kind of finance role are you in? There’s some less “cool” finance roles that have good WLB as the trade off and it’s been worth it for me as priorities shift to move in that direction
This sounds like I wrote it. Did Jane do this to you also?
I would definitely start looking now but it’s definitely possible to get WLB and live in a decent place. (Absolutely fine to take a Break of course it’s just easier to find a job while you still have one. You might also get super lucky and have a couple of good options available AND get severance. This happened to me. Got six weeks off, paid, plus severance and signing at new place. It was amazing and those six weeks were just shockingly helpful for my mental health.)
as far as city, even Philly is lower stress than is NY. (And cheaper. With lots to do.)
if you want to stay in banking / finance in a place pretty much without winter, you could also look in Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami.
Good luck!
Sorry to hear all this. Have you considered a less intense role like IR or BD? Life will get a lot easier if you move to Miami, North Carolina, wherever but it will be hard to get back on this type of career ladder if you leave. Just something to think about. It’s definitely the industry and the sacrifices you made to get here.
If you’re a praying person I would pray about it and ask God for his wisdom. I’m old school so I would try and secure a job asap after getting laid off. Hope that whatever you do that you do well.
I feel exhausted and I pray and also play christian music and it helps to lift my soul.
Career wise in Finance, I’m slightly behind you, but age wise I’m a bit older. I understand your experience and feel for you. I had a front office role and was part of a reduction in force a few months ago and it’s been HARD getting a position. Every single application or seat has 300-500 applications. I would tell you that if you think you are going to be laid off, slow down on the gas, spend more time enjoying your life and start networking and ensuring that when the inevitable happens you are prepared. Just my $0.02 from someone on the “other side”.
It's not a bad time to think about enterpreneurship, too. You may find that working for yourself and on your own is more satisfying than dealing with corporate culture. I am older, 63, and am not looking for a corporate job following my layoff and so my perspective may be different. But think about your experience and what you can do that would be more enjoyable if you found yourself burned out where you were. Keep in mind that if there are gaps in employment, HR screeners assume the worst (one told me she assumes that the candidate was in jail!) so if you do have a side hustle while you are thinking it over you can at least use it to fill employment gaps.
1. Definitely start looking now, as it's a process and you probably have to get up to speed on job searching.
2. Look somewhere else! Reach out to college classmates - what cities are they in? What do the like/dislike about it?
3. What do you need in your new location? There are so many cool fun cities - try them now while you don't have to worry about uprooting a family.
What kind of finance skills / background do you have? I work as a Fractional CFO. My work allows me to be remote / async. I’m a contractor so I have to provide my own benefits (ie health ins, etc.). Happy to answer any other questions about it. It’s a great field and is growing in demand.
The short version: I became active in my local startup community on off hours. Became more involved with a particular company in the midst of their transition from a work-for-hire motion graphics studio to a video game dev studio. We gained traction so I left my big stable corporate job to join them. Although it ultimately failed, it was an amazing experience. As it was winding down, I began consulting other startups mostly related to CFO/COO type of work. There is a LOT more to the story but a few key lessons I would tell anyone 1) Your experiences/skills are more valuable than you realize 2) Being good at learning is key 3) There is no one right path. The other thing I would add is that there is and will be a ton of demand for this role/work.
I left NYC in a similar situation at about the same age a few years ago and I'm happier not having to deal with that insanity anymore. I recently went back ... it's so depressing there. I'm also at a stage where I may need to take a break and change careers ... but I would imagine it would be much more difficult in NY.
Left NYC over a year ago for south Florida. Best decision I have ever made WLB wise. Go for it man. Start looking, try to get an offer and take a break in between roles. I think it is harder to land another job (and you might be more anxious during the process) if you are unemployed … my 2 cents. Best of luck!
I won't advise you to spend some time unemployed, rather, dive into some personal entrepreneurial projects/contractual/freelance kind of occupations while searching for your next step. That keeps you both sane mentally and physically because work breaks especially those which you had no previous WLB can be very tempting and in an attempt to take a break off work and focus on yourself, you can end up falling below your optimal productivity scale. Rather take this time, focus on your self and get the break you need while doing a few other things on the side being in total control of your time. That will do you a lot of good. I've been through that path and I can tell. We may not have the same experiences, but I hope this helps anyways
P& L
First, Welcome to LIFE. It can really be an uphill battle at times.
Secondly, Find three to five people that you can vent to (THAT YOU DO NOT WORK WITH)! If you do not have a support network, AA is a Great place to find them.
Thirdly, NEVER QUIT YOUR JOB. If you do, you risk a lot of Professional Questions that you do not want to Answer.
If you need to take a break from your business, situation, or even CITY (NYC can be ruff); have a story and a reason.
For example, go to Boston and get an MBA. Get drunk and have fun. But have storyline to explain it all.
Life is not just about work. I am not a VP and just a small potato. But I think you deserve to enjoy your life and feel the world. And as you reached a high position, so I believe you have no problem and money will come to you somehow cuz you have skills and sense. It is important to live like "you" and having a life you want! It has nothing to do with age too most important is you never regret :)
Maybe search for opportunities in smaller towns in the US. Look for low population states with good small cities. You can earn a somewhat decent living. Mid high salary range and usually everyone’s really nice. Moved out of Dallas to a small town and love the work environment.