- Scott Galloway began his career as a fixed income analyst at Morgan Stanley in 1987, quickly realizing he hated investment banking and was poorly suited to its hierarchical, corporate culture.
- Despite his dislike, the role armed him with durable skills—credit and fundraising literacy, document writing, contract analysis, and high-pressure attention to detail—that he later leveraged as an entrepreneur.
- He rejects “follow your passion” as primary career advice, arguing instead for finding what you are good at, enduring repeated rejection, and using early misfit roles as training grounds.
- Galloway’s path—from hating banking to founding and exiting firms like Prophet and L2—illustrates that self-awareness, resilience, and iterative experimentation matter more than initial prestige or perfect fit.
Read More
Galloway’s early role in investment banking provides foundational insight. He joined Morgan Stanley in 1987 as a fixed income analyst but describes hating the job—not due to the money or opportunity, but because the corporate environment felt alien to his personality. He didn’t believe he was well-suited to it; he lacked confidence, disliked hierarchy, being judged, and wasn’t motivated by what others found prestige. [8][11]
Yet, despite his distaste, he didn’t see banking as wasted time. He emerged with skills that later proved essential in his entrepreneurial ventures—writing business documents, understanding fundraising and credit, analyzing contracts, working under high pressure, and maintaining attention to detail. For Galloway, these were not glamorous, but indispensable. Investment banking, in his telling, was simultaneously “dry, boring material” and “a ton of pressure.” [2][6]
His rejection of “passion-first” advice reflects a pattern: early on, when his passions didn’t match his strengths, he shifted. He studied economics at UCLA; when full-time banking showed it wasn’t right, he tried other things, eventually launching Prophet in 1992 and later L2, with both companies becoming successful exits. [1][4]
A theme throughout his story is resilience. He often stresses the importance of tolerating rejection: he applied for 29 jobs after college and got a single offer. He learned through failing in banking, living at home when ventures didn’t work, and repeatedly adjusting course rather than doubling down blindly on what didn’t suit him. [2][4]
From a strategic standpoint, Galloway’s experience teaches that while hard skills from early roles carry forward, emotional fit and self-awareness are vital. For advisors: finding roles that don’t
Supporting Notes
- Galloway’s first job was at Morgan Stanley in 1987; he has said explicitly that he “hated it and wasn’t going to be good at it,” feeling both insecure and incompatible with the demands of corporate finance. [8][11]
- He described investment banking as involving high stakes with low glamour—proofing prospectuses, ensuring true interest cost calculations were right, and bearing responsibility for critical, minute details or risk being fired. [2][6]
- He claims that, over time, he realized that many roles celebrated for prestige are poor fits if they clash with one’s strengths or personality; hence his advice: don’t follow passion blindly, find what you’re good at. [1][9]
- After years of searching and experimenting, Galloway founded Prophet in 1992, sold parts of it in 2002 for about $33 million; later founded L2, which was acquired around 2017 for ~$155–$160 million. [4][1]
- He recalls applying to 29 jobs post-college, receiving just one offer—he attributes part of his success to enduring rejection until he landed something that aligned enough to allow him to build strength. [4][9]
- Galloway also mentions major mistakes like early luxury purchases (a $35,000 BMW funded out of his first bonus), which taught him about financial discipline. [7]
Sources
- [1] www.thestreet.com (TheStreet) — 2025-11-?
- [2] www.iheart.com (iHeart) — 2025-??
- [4] www.benzinga.com (Benzinga) — 2025-08-15
- [6] cafe.com (CAFE) — 2025-??
- [7] moneywise.com (Moneywise) — 2025-11-??
- [8] www.jordanharbinger.com (JordanHarbinger) — 2024-??
- [9] time.com (TIME) — 2025-11-??
- [11] www.thestreet.com (TheStreet) — 2025-??