I Pivoted From Investment Banking to Big Tech. I Only Miss One Thing.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dana Schoolsky, a 24-year-old working in monetization strategy and operations at TikTok in New York City. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

When I worked in investment banking as an analyst, everything felt urgent, as if a fire alarm was going off at all times.

I felt on edge even after leaving the office, never knowing when I might be called to action to do more work, which took a toll on me. I knew it wasn’t the right job for me nearly instantly, but I stayed for two years while I looked for a better opportunity.

Since quitting in July to work at TikTok, my life looks a lot different and I’m still learning to break some of the habits I built in IB.

I prefer working in Big Tech, though there were positive aspects to working in investment banking.

No two days were the same in investment banking

I studied business at the University of Michigan, and it’s very common to go into investment banking, so I decided to go in that direction. I was very interested in the broader scope of what bankers do.

I hit the desk as an investment banking analyst immediately after graduating from college in July 2023. It felt comfortable to land in such a structured environment after graduation, and I feel as though the company really took time to give us the lay of the land and understand our responsibilities.

During periods when I was working on a live deal, my days were busiest, full of back-to-back meetings with clients, coworkers, senior bankers, and more. Days working on non-live work would be spent in PowerPoint and Excel, working on a deck, including its financial modeling and analysis.

There were tight deadlines, and everything felt high-priority,

My mornings as an investment banker were sacred, and my nights were unpredictable

I would wake up every morning at 6:30 a.m. to go to the gym because it was the only time of day I knew I’d be able to commit an hour to myself without checking my phone. That time was sacred for me.

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Then I’d head to the office, where I’d stay into the evening, even ordering dinner to eat with coworkers. There were no windows where I sat, so I often lost track of the time of day at work. I’d typically leave the office between 6:30 and 9 p.m., though I could receive more work at any point in the night. It was an unwritten rule that this work should be done before morning.

Some nights, I was so worried about an assignment popping up that I’d set alarms to go off every 90 minutes so that I wouldn’t miss anything. The unpredictability put me on edge and took a toll on my sleep and mental health.

It also made it difficult to commit to plans, even as small as drinks with a friend.

The sense of urgency at TikTok is less than at my investment banking job

I started my role at TikTok in July. I work on the monetization strategy and operations team covering a key global account, which basically means I’m focused on how TikTok generates revenue from the account I’m on. I work from about 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. three days a week in the office and two days at home, which is a split I’m loving.

Everything in this role is new for me, so I’m having to learn new things and face challenges I’ve never seen before. It’s been difficult, like anything new, but it’s also exciting.

People around me are busy and working hard, just like in investment banking, but the overall sense of urgency feels lower. I notice people might put work down to go to the gym or take a real lunch break. Everyone has work to do, but there seem to be looser expectations on how it gets done.

I feel more trusted to get my work done without heavy monitoring at my Big Tech job

In banking, I was so used to having to tell my boss everything I was doing. Not only did I tell them how I was spending every moment at work, but also how I was spending nights and weekends. It’s been a hard habit to break.

In my new job, I’m not always sure when things are urgent. My boss might send me something at 2 a.m. if that’s when he happens to be working, but that doesn’t mean he expects me to work at that time. It will just take time to understand the workflow and adapt to the work culture.

Making friends was easier at my investment banking job, but I’m enjoying Big Tech more

The only thing I miss about investment banking is the people. Being in a cohort of people around my age made it so easy to build friendships. We all just spent so much time together and bonded over inside jokes about company lore and our shared experience at this demanding job. I still text my core-banking friends nearly every day.

At TikTok, I’ve been so busy trying to learn as much as possible that it’s been harder for me to meet people. I love having work friends, but my work is very independent and doesn’t have a structured way to meet people.

I went to a recent offsite and introduced myself to as many people as possible, so I feel like I’m off to a good start.

I regret not looking into more career options in college

As for now, I’m enjoying working with really smart people and just enjoying my life a bit more. My mental health has significantly improved. I’m not constantly anxious about work and wondering if my plans are going to be canceled as a result of it.

If I could’ve done anything differently, I would’ve exposed myself to more career possibilities while in undergrad to understand what else is out there. I’m thankful for ending up in banking because it taught me about what I want out of work and life, but if you’re a college student on the investment banking path, you are not limited.

There’s always a conversation to be had with somebody in another industry or a different company to learn what’s out there.

Do you have a story to share about pivoting into or out of Big Tech? If so, please reach out to the reporter at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.