@OP You “spent years hopping around departments”?
Let’s call that what it is, OP — career drift, not strategy. Moving sideways without intention isn’t a flex; it’s a sign you didn’t know what you wanted.
And bragging that you “never had a grand plan” as if winging it is wisdom?
That’s not inspirational — that’s retroactively romanticizing lack of direction. Saying “yes” because you didn’t know what else to do isn’t a philosophy; it’s passivity dressed up as bravery.
You “eventually landed in a certain role”?
Right — after wandering long enough, you finally stumbled onto something that stuck. Luck isn’t a strategy, no matter how you package it.
“The pace, the learning, the exposure…”
So basically: things were slow until suddenly they weren’t.
If BNY only accelerated you once you hit the right seat, maybe the issue wasn’t the environment — maybe it was that you never optimized for impact until much later.
And that “mad” salary jump?
Huge raises usually mean one of two things:
(a) you were massively undervalued before (highest likelihood), or
(b) the new firm overpaid because they needed a warm body fast.
Either way, it’s not the Cinderella story you’re making it out to be.
You worked with “cracking people and a few brilliant leaders”?
Translation: isolated pockets of sanity in an otherwise messy culture. No amount of nostalgia changes that.
“Culture? Absolutely rough at times.”
So you admit the place was dysfunctional — yet you’re painting survival as some kind of badge of honor. That’s not grit; that’s normalizing toxicity.
“Hard environments push you out of your comfort zone.”
Sure — or they just push people out.
Stop pretending enduring unnecessary struggle is some kind of elite development hack. Growth doesn’t require pain; it requires direction.
“You grow the most when you’re a bit uncomfortable.”
No — you grow the most when you’re challenged with purpose, not when you’re scrambling because the environment is chaotic or mismanaged.
“Learn everything you can while you’re there.”
That’s basic career hygiene, not deep wisdom.
“It’s possible to get a massive pay rise if you make yourself valuable.”
And whose fault is it that you weren’t valued until you left?
If the market only recognized your worth after you exited BNY, that says more about how muted your impact was internally + lack of internal recognition (a repetitive theme in BNY) than how brilliant your exit was.
“Don’t let anyone tell you progress has to be slow.”
Progress isn’t slow by default; your progress was slow because you drifted for years. Don’t generalize your delays as universal truth.
And closing with “quietly keep your head down, get really good, and back yourself”?
That’s not a formula — that’s a justification after the fact.
Most people who “keep their head down” get overlooked, not catapulted.
You didn’t get here because you followed some timeless principle.
You got here because you finally landed in the right seat and then rode the momentum. Nothing wrong with that — but stop pretending it’s a replicable blueprint.