First job in life is no doubt will be one of the most exciting yet stressful life events.
Personally, I don't believe in the term "dream job". What is dreamy is the description and word of mouth about that job. You won't know what you actually like and dislike about a job until you actually venture into it. With that saying, it means no matter what you choose, diving into your first job will be a super blur moment... well at least for most of us.
I always hate it when people give vague advice like
Work first!! Then you'll know
Being lost enough as it is, those vague advice annoyed me so much when I was confused enough about my first job and here comes advice that well.. have words but doesn't have much of a meaning to me lol. Of course it makes much more sense now that I've slaved my life to earn money that's never enough but honestly people stop giving such vague advice man!!
I think if I can be any helpful, I won't mind sharing me experience as a *noob* banker from a fresh graduate's perspective. To share how is it like working in a bank for the past year and how did my perception changed since I was a fresh graduate.
I joined a bank a year ago and now that I've gotten some exposure, I still find banking industry a very challenging one with so many different elements from market to regulators, it feels like I would need an eternity or two to understand it fully wtf!
So.. how is it like working in a bank?
You are VERY easily replaced
The first thing you have to know about being a *noob* banker is that there's a million other people like you and you are as easily replaced as the desk and chairs in the office. There is no specific skill set that you can own that guarantees you a future filled with money, spotlight and glitters. Really.. what can you offer again? Microsoft Office knowledge? You're exceptionally hardworking? The truth is.. It's not difficult to find someone like you *cue Adele*. You are only valuable after you shake off the title *noob* and that can only be done with years and years experience.
The overtime culture
The industry is really really competitive. I used to have a boss who told me I SHOULD work overtime because that is how you can differentiate yourself from the other fresh graduates. I didn't get it previously but now I really kind of got the whole jizz... You don't OT because you like it. You do it because you HAVE TO INVEST SOME TIME to learn and grow fast. Before the harsh reality decided that you're out from the rat race. If you're asking for my honest opinion then I'd say OT or not depends on your boss and the culture of your company and department. Chinese and Japanese companies are more prone to OT than ang moh companies.. I guess.
Whatever you learn in uni.... crystallize it
What we've learnt in uni were just concepts and ideas. When you join a bank, and if your job is somewhat related to your studies, this is where your concepts are really applied. EVERYTHING YOU'VE LEARNT ARE BASICALLY USELESS! Haha because concepts are based on a perfect world assumption and in real life, things are not exactly perfect. But I think learning in an actual working environment crystallizes the concepts and ideas so you'll now know if you hate both your degree and your job or you could love both! For me, Basel II, Pillar 1, 2 and 3 used to be plain words that doesn't have any particular meaning to me.. After working only I grasp the actual structure behind it and why is it existence necessary. Pretty mind blown that I FINALLY get what the thingy was trying to say lol
Steep learning
Learn fast. If you're not forced to learn fast, then you're not learning enough.
Remuneration
I think realistically this is the one most interested in knowing! "Starting pay for working in a bank" is probably Google-d by gazillion fresh graduates when they are looking for a job. I don't mind telling you frankly.. Yes, there are those higher pay Management Trainees job for fresh graduates.
But starting pay is one thing.. Increment and bonus and everything after that will be ALL ON YOUR OWN.
Please don't listen to other people who said how they worked for this bank and got 8 months bonus and the other fella said he worked for that bank and only got 5 months bonus. Bonus in a bank, to be frank is very much based on your performance. It doesn't mean joining a particular bank will guarantee you this amount of bonus. It's best to look at the means to get to that end.
But a bank's pay is basically good. Better than most industries with a lo of perks and benefits. ESPECIALLY THE NUMBER OF DAYS OF LEAVE! I think this makes it hard to jump to another industry man! The number of leaves OMGGGG!
Mundane
Part and parcel of a desk job right? But contrary to normal beliefs, one does not sit around whole day in the office waiting for time to pass. Nope! I walk around quite a bit and search high and low to look for stuff. Busy busy me~ But still it's a desk job with endless paper work. If you have hyperactive or those kind who prefers to sweat more than sitting in a comfortable air-conditioned room then maybe a banking job will be difficult for you.
It's extremely dependent on luck
Haha think this is a general one... How your first job turn out will be highly dependent on your boss. Trust me, even if you landed the dream job and your boss tells you to suck his c**k all day, it's not gonna be a dream job for long! Everyone can be your boss but it's difficult to find a good leader. Boss aside, your colleagues and people you work with generally plays a part too. In the "How To Survive Adulthood 101", it's common knowledge to not let other people get to you BUT one day 10 hours, one week 50 hours dy.. If the working environment is negative and depressing then honestly, you won't last very long.
Okay that's all I can think of for now...
Honestly, working in a bank is busy and a lot of repetitive work but I think it's similar across all jobs. Ultimately, it'll boil down to how satisfied with your current job. Don't keep a job that'll make you go home and cry yourself to sleep. But if you ask me, so far my journey has been rewarding and I am still learning about the industry and oddly, about myself. It's clearer to me now what I really want and what I can forgo.
If you have anything you want to know about being a fresh graduate banker, feel free to drop me a comment below!
Buh bye lovelies~
Have a great weekend everyone!
