- Scott Galloway despised and failed at investment banking but considers it a crucial training ground in his career.
- The job taught him precision, how large organizations work, resilience under stress and rejection, and clarity about his own strengths and weaknesses.
- He rejects “follow your passion” advice, instead urging people to pursue roles where their abilities, pay, and satisfaction overlap.
- His story supports a broader strategy of early career experimentation, embracing hard high-learning jobs, then pivoting toward economically viable work that fits one’s temperament.
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Scott Galloway’s reflection on his time in investment banking at Morgan Stanley reveals a nuanced view: he loathed the role—describing himself as “terrible” at it and irritated by its environment—but he deeply values the skills and insight it granted him. He often frames his early professional discomfort not as failure but as essential calibration, teaching clarity about both his strengths and limitations. [3][4][1]
Through his own story, Galloway challenges popular career themes. He critiques “passion-first” career advice as impractical for most people, arguing that many desirable professions are oversaturated and underpay or exploit passion. Instead, he advocates a strategy where one explores a few roles early, allows feedback to guide discovery, and eventually doubles down on where competence, including economic feasibility, aligns with personal strengths. [5][1]
Moreover, Galloway’s commentary surfaces several broader strategic implications for young professionals and firms:
- For individuals: Assign greater weight to discovering what you’re good at (skills, temperament) rather than what you love immediately; invest early in discipline and hard work; accept that discomfort, stress, and rejection are integral to development; engage with institutions or roles that may be unpleasant but high-learning.
- For firms/employers: Recognize training roles (analyst programs, onboarding) carry latent value far beyond immediate output; the ability to retain or repurpose talent after early pruning (“I hated it”) might pay dividends; more transparent feedback loops can help accelerate self-awareness in employees.
- For educators/advisers: Reconsider the emphasis on “follow your passion” in career counseling; encourage experimentation and exposure to different work environments; stress the importance of economic security and lasting capability over initial affinity.
Open questions remain on whether Galloway’s individual case scales: how many benefit similarly from roles they hate? Do all entry-level positions offer this “harsh clarity”? And how does economic background affect one’s ability to endure early career suffering without financial collapse?
Supporting Notes
- Galloway’s blunt self-judgment: “I hated it and I was terrible at it” speaking of his time in investment banking. [3]
- On the nature of the work: “Incredibly dry, boring material with a tremendous amount of stress” and that it’s a role built around precision—read prospectuses inside out, avoid errors in calculations. [4][3]
- Realizing what he’s not good at was a critical insight: after banking, he moved into roles (strategy, analytics) aligned with his strengths. [3]
- Critique of triumphside career advice—“follow your passion is Latin for prepare to be exploited”—warning against glamorized narratives in over-saturated fields. [5]
- Enduring rejection and discomfort were central to his capacity to eventually thrive: living at home unemployed; moving away from roles he found distasteful. [3]
- Galloway regards banking as a useful platform for learning about large corporate structures, stamina, and operational precision, even if personally unfulfilling. [3][4]
Sources
- [1] www.iheart.com (iHeart) — Date when reviewed
- [2] www.thestreet.com (TheStreet) — Date when reviewed
- [3] podcasts.happyscribe.com (The Prof G Show) — Date when reviewed
- [4] cafe.com (CAFE) — Date when reviewed
- [5] time.com (TIME) — 2099-xx-xx or approximate date reviewed
- [6] moneywise.com (Moneywise) — Date when reviewed