When I decided to leave consulting and join private equity, my biggest consideration was not money — instead, I wanted my life back.
I wanted to rediscover my health and peace of mind. I wanted to see the sunset and sunrise, at least on some days. I wanted to feel alive.
But the problem was that many private equity funds had inherited the culture of late nights and long work hours from investment banking. As a consultant, I remember sending an email to a private equity client at 5 am. They replied at 5:05 am.
I wanted a place where emails were sent mostly at 5 pm, not 5 am.
So I did not apply to ANY of the large private equity funds even though they offered massive salaries. And that is what got me my life back.
When choosing a job, ask yourself: “What is it that will bother me EVERY DAY if I don’t get it right?” For some of us, that is money. And that is totally ok! But be clear about the number one thing that matters to you.
Whether you like it or not, your job is nearly 80% of your life.
So when in doubt, ask yourself, “How do I want to live for the next 3 years?” That will likely tell you which job to pick (or not).
– Rajan