“Hi Fiona, I’m a Math student at the University of Birmingham in the UK. I always thought that I would go down the finance route and so decided to do an international internship in Hong Kong in an investment bank. However, I’ve been here for about three weeks and I think I chose the wrong career field. I find the work doesn’t come naturally to me and the atmosphere stresses me out. I’m glad I did this internship because it has opened my eyes and made me realize that finance is not the career for me, but I’m not sure what to do from here. I’m looking for some tips on how to still make the most of the rest of my experience. How do I move forward from here?” – Tom
Hi Tom, thanks for getting in touch! I’m sorry to hear that you’re not enjoying your finance internship but don’t worry, this is not an uncommon situation. Some people have their heart set on being a teacher, start their first day, and realize that they cannot work with children all day. It may feel worrying, but I think it’s great that you’ve realized so early on in your career.
Jobs aren’t always what you expect and even if they are, you can find out that it’s not what you want after all. This isn’t the end of the world and it doesn’t mean you’re stuck in this career forever. In fact, studies show that millennials are a lot more likely to have career changes than previous generations.
I’ll share my top tips for still getting the most out of the rest of your internship while deciding on your next step, if you're wondering what to do when you're in the wrong career.
1. Give it some time
Although you may feel certain that finance is not for you, give yourself time to adjust and think about what you want. Three weeks feels like a very long time, but it’s really not in the grand scheme of things. As you continue your internship you will be given more and more tasks, and you may find that you'll be given things that catch your interest. This may make you excited for your internship again. It also might take you a bit longer than expected to adjust to the environment, and soon you'll be well on your way to enjoying your life in finance. The worst thing you could do at this point is quit. You never know what is around the corner with new projects and exciting work. As well as this, leaving early will alter your colleagues’ positive impression of you. You never know how these contacts may help you in the future.
2. Ask to try new things
If you’re struggling with the work that you’re being given and not enjoying it, why not ask to try something different? If you see your supervisor working on something new, ask if you can do anything to help. This will also make you look keen and excited to learn, which will impress your boss. You may find that one of these new projects interests you. If you make sure to work hard, they may let you carry on with this kind of work. You could even sit in on a few meetings and get a deeper understanding of how the business works. Maybe there's an aspect of this career field more suited to you, but you haven't experienced it yet! There are so many different parts to a company. If you’re not enjoying your role, ask to gain insight into different areas, for example consulting or IT. This way you can get an idea of other roles you could be interested in.
3. Work on your most important skills
Although you may not necessarily enjoy all the work you're given, it teaches you valuable skills. Everything you do in your internship is teaching you a new skill, which you can apply to other jobs in the future. Any professional experience is worthwhile because you’re gaining transferable skills. Make it part of your daily routine to note down the tasks you carry out. Later, list the skills that your different roles have helped you to develop. These are what you can list on your resume and take with you to your next professional position. A lot of them, such as time management, IT skills and problem solving, will be useful no matter what career you choose next.
4. Write a pros and cons list
This may sound like ridiculous advice because you already know you don’t like the job but bear with me. A great way to pinpoint exactly what you like and don’t like about the jobs is to analyze the pros and cons of it.
Grab a piece of paper, make two columns, and then put down everything you like as a pro and everything you don’t as a con. The things you put down can be menial, the more specific you are, the better. For example, you may have ‘enjoy working with numbers’ as a pro, and ‘hate the competitive atmosphere’ as a con. Once you have your list you can look at your pros and this will give you a specification of your ideal job. You can use this to look at career fields or specific positions within them.
By reflecting in this way, you can start to see where the problem lies. You might just dislike the company culture or your specific role rather than your career field as a whole. Or you may decide that, yes, you definitely need to change your career path.
5. Do some research
Once you have your ‘perfect job’ specification, the best advice I can give you is research, research, research. Google boasts so much information, and if a position exists, you will find it. A great way to go about this is to begin with general searches such as “jobs for maths grads” and get more specific as you find out more information. Then look deeper into the jobs that grab your attention. You can even take a look at LinkedIn and see if anyone you know has any relevant experience. You will be able to send them an email or message through LinkedIn and they can give you great first-hand knowledge.
6. Try and network
One of the best things about an international internship is the incredible network that you will build by meeting people from all over the world. The contacts you make will be important for your later life, so ensure you’re networking as much as possible. ‘What is networking?’ I hear you ask. Networking is essentially the business version of making friends. You are creating a circle of contacts that you can contact or work with in later life. People rarely stay in the same job or company forever so make sure you’re being friendly and helpful to everyone at work. You never know what they’ll be doing in the future. They may hold the key to your dream job.
7. Put together a game plan
After considering everything, you’ll have a better idea of exactly how you feel and what you want. Now is the time to make a game plan. Think about what career you want, whether it's in the same field as your internship or something different. You can consider your reflections about your current job, your new skill set, and your insight into new areas. Then evaluate how you can head in the right direction. Think about how you can relate your current job to what you want in the future. You can also consider what you could be doing in your spare time to improve your candidacy for roles in this field, such as another internship, local experience, or an online course.
8. Enjoy your new city
Although the finance industry may not be quite what you were hoping, remember to make the most of your new surroundings! The internship is only one part of the experience. Make sure that you’re making the most of living in Hong Kong and everything the city has to offer. People always talk about a work-life balance. So if your work feels a bit rubbish, you need to balance it by having a great time outside of work! Why not list everything you want to do or see in Hong Kong? Grab a few friends and see how many you can tick off before you leave. Hong Kong is full of exciting and wonderful places to explore. Living in such a vibrant city is an incredible experience in itself.
