December 16, 2019, by Leah Sharpe

What if I don’t want to be an investment banker?

By Alex Owusu, Employability Officer

Are you an economics or business student? Have you come to the conclusion that investment banking just isn’t for you? So what do you do now?

With so many career options available, it’s important to remember that just because a particular role or sector is a popular choice for your course, it doesn’t have to be the right choice for you. Now you’ve identified a particular career that doesn’t appeal to you, it puts you in a good position to think about the type of job you might like to pursue. There are some questions you can ask yourself to help narrow it down:

What if being an investment banker doesn’t appeal to me?

Investment banking fits a particular person profile. Think about why you don’t want to go down the investment banker route. Is it the types of tasks you would be undertaking? The unsociable hours? The competitive nature of the role or the type of culture you might be working in? Answering this will help you hone in on what your ideal type of job might involve.

What skills have I developed on my course?

Your degree will not only help you gain subject knowledge around your area but also equip you with key skills and competencies that will stand you in good stead for different careers. Perhaps you delivered a presentation where you had to demonstrate good commercial awareness, or you utilised specific economic theory to analyse a company’s position in the wider market. It’s important not to wait until you graduate to think about the areas you’ve developed. Do this as an ongoing exercise throughout your degree. This will make it much easier to recall examples of you demonstrating these skills and competencies and pinpoint those you enjoy using most. You might begin to see that the range of skills you’ve built point you towards particular career areas or job types.

What do I enjoy doing and why do I enjoy doing it?

Taking the time to think through the things you enjoy doing can be a big help in establishing the types of roles that would best fit you. Make a list of activities you currently do, whether on your course or as an extracurricular activity. From there, you can start to identify those that you enjoy the most and why you enjoy them. If you enjoy volunteering at a soup kitchen, is it because you like to build relationships with others? If you enjoy handling and analysing large data sets, is it because you like piecing information together to uncover the facts? Being able to understand what you like to do and why you like to do it can guide you towards what you are passionate about and the type of role that would allow you to express that.

Start to have a think about these questions. Still feel unsure? The Careers and Employability Service is here to help you research your career ideas and give you the tools to make informed decisions. You can visit our website for further ideas and book an appointment to chat to one of our Careers team.

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