It's been a week since my internship started at CS. Although I've not been given any actual work, I can feel it is going to be a busy summer. We're constantly warned about the hours, and I can see analysts treating the office as their home.
Part of training has been a series of speakers advising us on a multitude of job-related topics ranging from dignity at work to do's and don'ts for the summer. We're bombarded with all kinds of well-meaning exhortations, solicited or otherwise, including:
- Any time you have to leave your desk for an extended period of time, inform somebody (even if it is for 20 minutes).
- Ask a lot of questions. Ask a lot of questions. Ask a lot of questions.
- The only reason we're in this business is to do deals. Don't forget that.
- The most important thing is your attitude.
- The return offer is yours to lose.
- (My fave) Don't whine. If your boss gives you work at 4 pm on a Friday, don't go 'but I had plans...' Unless you have a wedding or a funeral, you don't have plans.
There's so much to learn and absorb, that even though we've had 5 days of training I don't feel prepared for what will be expected of me. However, in my short 5 working days I have already gotten a taste of the IB lifestyle. On Wednesday I was supposed to meet some friends in NYC for dinner. However, we were given homework that day and all had to stay past 11pm to complete it. I canceled on my friends. I have long known that in investment banking your time is not really yours, but this was the first time I experienced it. I guess I will stop making plans for the next 8 weeks.
What has most impressed me throughout the training process so far is the rousing speeches given by senior bankers. They all have a genuine passion for the business and the company, and have keen insight on their respective industries. I hope to find my passion too, and one day be able to call something I'm passionate about my career.
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