Why does picking your first job feel impossible?

Oct 30, 2025

99% of people don't get their first job expecting to stay there forever. I certainly didn't either.

But the pressure to make the "right" choice still feels insane!

As an econ major, it felt like I had three real options after graduation.

Finance. Research. Consulting.

That was the fork in the road.

I knew I didn’t want to go into finance. Couldn’t really explain why, just had a gut feeling that I wouldn't like it.

Becoming a professor sounded kinda cool, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend another 5+ years getting a PhD after I had just spent the last 15 in school.

That left consulting.

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It paid well, seemed impressive, and appealed to my twin desires to (1) keep my options open while also (2) validating my inner need to feel smart.

But something told me it wasn't right for me.

I didn't want to travel. I didn't want to work that much. And I really wasn't all that interested in the work.

I really wanted to want it, but I didn't actually want it.

Now I felt really confused! What was I supposed to do?

In retrospect, it feels absurd to think that I had only 3-4 career paths. There are so many other types of work worth exploring and I wish I had more exposure (or imagination) then.

But at the time, I really just wanted a sense of security and flexibility - money to buy things and transferable skills to buy time.

So in my junior year, when I came across economic consulting for the first time, I was intrigued.

It's half academic, half business, and for someone torn between the two, the perfect place to test out which I'd like more.

You do data analysis and research in a consulting environment (billable hours, structured teams) where your bosses are mostly Econ PhDs and former academics.

It's a far cry from a perfect job. The hours can be long and the work mundane.

But it was a better option for me. And it could be for you too!

In this week's video, I broke down the key differences between the two types of consulting including how much you get paid, what people typically do afterwards, and what the day-to-day work is like.

Until next week,
Jacky "economic consulting isn’t that boring" Ye

p.s. It's also my first time posting on YouTube after a 5 month hiatus, so any feedback and encouragement would make my day :)

p.p.s. Finally got around to making an actual website! You can check that out here. It has some nice things people have said about working with me as a coach.