I think I may find a new career / industry. Thoughts?

I have this discussion with myself every couple of years.  I did it once in life already.  I went from being an accountant to deciding I wanted to work in telecommunications.  Or more like I wanted to chase dot com fame and fortune and fell into telecom.  Are you prepared to go back to school?  I'm 40 now and I couldn't imagine actually going back for another masters.  Try taking an inventory of what you are good at and brainstorm.  Good luck- it is fun to think of the "what-ifs".

Is there any "Growth" industry right now?  It seems most growth is coming from subsidies from the government- think telecom, green energy, etc.  Large corporations that "grow" seem to do so via merger and acquisitions as opposed to organic growth and wealth creation.

I'm sure you've got some solid skills that would transfer to an industry that isn't weighed down by regulations and .  Like Dave said, maybe you should go into professional FFB.

My best friend did that very thing.  He was a relationship banker at a large bank in town and just didn't enjoy it.  He leveraged some of his personal relationships he had acquired and bought into one of his customers businesses.  He's now enjoying the entrepreneurial dream.

If you enjoy interacting with people sales may be a career field.  I'm partial to IT sales because that's what I do.  

I think farming would be a good creer choice. Learn to be self ??sufficient, so when the goverment goes belly up you will be in the driver's seat.

Good luck.

P.S. In all ?seriousness make sure the grass is greener on the other side before you leave you current position. Your story is basical the same for everyone right now. No matter the field.

this.  i spend most of my day making powerpoints and sitting through meetings.  i spend less than a third of my time actually doing what my job title is.

OMG you could be me. Welcome to my world. I also work for a big bank. I spend my day on admin, beaurocracy, various non productive regulatory committees, and conference calls. In other words very little that actually generates productivity, revenue, or client satisfaction. In a world of matrix reporting its all about competition to justify one department's self importance over others.

As for Plan B- good question. My background is economics. Maybe thinking along teaching lines. There are lots of executive programs around that look for people with practical experience.

Plan C- Fall back on all that time spent swimming and get a job cleaning pools.

Or maybe just a different bank? I certainly don't have the same feelings as the OP in my position at my bank. I'd even stoop to calling my job "enjoyable."

I don't know how you bankers make it through the day without tearing your hair out.  My wife is a banker at a mid-size regional bank.  She tells me stories of her day and all I can say is "yup, I'd have been fired right there for telling them they're a "

Some of the highlights:

1) Same old lady that needs her checkbook balanced every week, for the last several years

2) No beverages at her desk because it "looks unprofessional".  When my wife was pregnant recently, she either had to step into the coat closet, or downstairs to their breakroom to even take a sip of water

3) A woman screaming at her because her bank wouldn't refund the charges when her daughter bought $300 worth of music off of iTunes on her debit card.

4) By policy, not being allowed to have Word or Excel on her desktop computer, since they could conceivably write a letter or spreadsheet for someone that could come back to bite the bank.

I don't know how she does it, I wouldn't have the patience.

I felt the same thing happened in large Pharma. Everything getting done by committee, trying to do research by process and outsourcing, and inability to innovate. So I bailed and started my own company providing outsourced research back to those Pharmas.

If you can swing it, consulting is a pretty enjoyable way to make a living. One you leave and charge a lot per hour they take you seriously again.