Dear Diary,
By the time I am finished with writing this entry, I will also be done with my one month internship at a multinational bank. It had been my very first time to be in an actual working environment and to experience the brutal pain of waking up early each day to go to work. Below are 4 things I learned during this month:
- Work is Tough
Many people think that working in a bank is about sitting in an office all day enjoying the air conditioning and getting a big paycheck at the end of each month. While the air-conditioning is usually present, the big paycheck is not necessarily present too. Bankers have a consuming job. Most employees there want to quit their jobs if only they could find an alternative. Every day they have to go through the same boring procedures, paperwork and put up with the endless tasks their boss gives them. They stay for long hours sitting in an office staring at a computer screen with no sunlight ever coming in but even though their work is hard and at times unbearable. It is still better than having no job at all; at least it allows you financial independence and gives you a reason to wake up in the morning.
- There’s no such thing as Work-Life Balance
How do you expect someone who starts their job at 8 in the morning and finishes at 6 or 7 at the evening and sometimes at 10 to have time or energy for friends and family? Each day after work all I felt like doing was sleeping the rest of the day. My trainer once told me that his life has become this endless empty cycle of counting the days till the weekend.
- You don’t have to be a business graduate to be a banker
Although of course it is very preferred to be one, it is not a necessity to spend 4 years of your life studying accounting like many people might think. In fact, I met an employee who was an Alsun graduate majoring in Spanish!! The technical aspect of being a banker is quite easy. The hardest parts remain in maintaining your emotional stability when dealing with clients, keeping your focus during repeated tasks and, most importantly, challenging yourself each morning not to quit and pursue a different career. Quitting and pursuing career– to be fair –is something that many people in different careers challenge themselves to do.
Despite the stress and challenges bankers face, I met some incredible role models who managed to keep their banking career and still pursue their passion. A banker at morning, a promising fashion designer by night and another young man building his very own business. This gives me hope and motivation that one can achieve anything regardless of the circumstances.
- I can write a book of tales with the stories I’ve heard
Being a trainee at a bank meant that you get to listen to dozens of stories from all the employees. Most of them have a tendency to tell you their life stories and the experiences they went through. I am forever grateful for this tendency because it hasn’t only enriched my personal and professional knowledge, but also had me very entertained during the training.
To wrap it up, a banking career can offer you a lot of advantages and privileges. However, if your character does not match, or if you’re looking for a creative job then, simply this job is not for you.
By: Merna Mohamed El Bialy
EDITOR: Nada Zeyada