"I grew up on a remote mountain and got into banking. Junior bankers don't know how lucky they are"

I work in investment banking for one of the largest banks in the world. My route in was not easy; junior bankers joining through summer analyst schemes fail to realize how lucky and privileged they are. 

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I grew up in some of the most remote mountains of an emerging market country. By 18, I had never lived in a city and had never owned a television, phone, or had access to the internet. I left to pursue higher education in the west, and the first few years were the toughest of my life. It took me more than a decade to get into banking after I got my degree.

I spent two years working in consulting in my home country before securing a place on a business banking graduate scheme. I started in customer service but quickly moved up to mid-market corporate banking. I spent seven years there and acquired so many qualifications on the side that people would judge me. I was finally offered a temporary role in healthcare M&A (as an analyst), which my manager prevented me from taking. I left to pursue an MBA, and finally received an investment banking offer in the final month of the course. 

In banking, my salary increased by more than five times. The hours, pace, technical precision, awareness, and energy required were immense. I didn't realize at the time, however, how privileged I was; I hadn't built anything or brought any transformational ideas to the table. All the deals I worked on were handed to me on a plate by senior MDs in their 50s. My previous experience was more emotionally complex and relationship driven. 

When I became a director in my 30s, I felt nine years behind people my age who joined banking as a graduate, and had to work three times as hard just to stay level. In interviews, I'd hear terms like 'plug-and-play', 'team fit', 'linear success', and 'deep experience' which are often camouflage for ageism, especially against women. Ageist awards like 30 under 30, and the arrogance that accompanies their winners, don't help. 

Success in investment banking is as much a function of opportunity, privilege, market timing, geography, and mobility as it is of talent and effort. I am simply more employable when I remove my graduation date. 

Rubi Illescas is a psuedonym

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