I burned out in both careers<\/a>: with tennis, I lasted six years, but with banking, I was done after nine months.<\/p>\n I wouldn’t wish burnout on anyone, but I’m grateful that the experience forced me to question what truly matters, understand my limits, and know when to walk away.<\/p>\n Have you made an unconventional career move? If you’re comfortable discussing it with a reporter, please fill out this quick form<\/a>. We want to hear from people who have stepped out of or into corporate life in nontraditional ways.<\/p>\n I was the world’s 118th best under-18s tennis player<\/p>\n I grew up in Arapongas, a small city in Brazil, where I played sports a lot. When I was 10, a friend invited me to try a new sport \u2014 tennis. I was good and started playing regional tournaments in Brazil, followed by international ones.<\/p>\n At 15, I had to choose between a tennis career<\/a> and transferring to a better high school in another city. I chose the option of traveling the world, rather than sitting in a classroom all day.<\/p>\n I moved to Curitiba, the capital of my state, where a tennis club that provided me with a coach and sponsorship for competitions. While studying part-time, I trained six hours a day and spent up to seven months a year competing in tournaments across South America, Europe, and Africa. In 2017, I reached No. 118 in the world for under-18s.<\/p>\n By 16, though, I was already burned out and knew I didn’t want tennis to be my career. I still enjoyed playing doubles, but I always struggled to enjoy singles. I would get anxious before stepping on the court and cry before matches. What kept me going was my love of travel.<\/p>\n Vitoria Okuyama started playing tennis as a child.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Vitoria Okuyama<\/p>\n Tennis was my ticket to financial independence<\/p>\n When I turned 18 in 2017, I played in the US Open girls’ singles. The highlight was visiting New York City. I felt like I’d made it by competing in such a major competition, but the opportunity to travel was the real driver, not the tennis.<\/p>\n I wanted to quit tennis, but after the tournament, a coach from the College of William & Mary in Virginia offered me a scholarship<\/a>, and I knew that by taking this opportunity, I’d have a better chance at achieving what I wanted most: financial independence through a good education.<\/p>\n Related stories<\/p>\n Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know<\/p>\n Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know<\/p>\n Moving to the US in 2017 was a big culture shock<\/a>. My English wasn’t great, and there were no other Brazilians at the school. Luckily, the tennis team had many international players, and we built a family away from home.<\/p>\n At college, we practiced for around 20 hours each week. We’d train in the mornings, go to school, and compete in matches on weekends. Forcing myself to play only led to more feelings of anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n For me, playing tennis was just a means to an end: my parents couldn’t afford tuition, so without the scholarship, I would have had to leave college.<\/p>\n I pushed through until I was 22, and found myself shutting down my feelings and ignoring the signs of burnout<\/a> my body was giving me.<\/p>\n Vitoria Okuyama played in several international tennis tournaments.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Vitoria Okuyama<\/p>\n My limits as a banker were less obvious than as a tennis player<\/p>\n I didn’t know what I wanted to do after college, other than achieve financial independence from my parents. Older teammates had mentioned the world of finance could be lucrative, and that was all I needed to know.<\/p>\n In the summers after my junior and senior years of college, in 2020 and 2021, I interned at banks in Brazil. I then took a year to study for a Master’s in Finance at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A mentor I had met through my tennis agent connected me to an associate he knew at Citi. That was my foot in the door and led to interviews, a final stage Superday, and eventually a full-time job as an investment banking analyst.<\/p>\n When I arrived in New York City for the job in July 2022, I was ambitious and eager to learn. I gave everything I had to be the best version of myself. My best had no limit, and I had no idea how to pace myself. I worked from 10 a.m. until 4 a.m. for two to three months straight. We did have protected Saturdays, but other than that, I couldn’t really escape the work.<\/p>\n Vitoria Okuyama was on a tennis scholarship at college.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Vitoria Okuyama<\/p>\n At least with tennis, the physical limits were obvious. With investment banking, I just kept pushing myself. After nine months, in May 2023, I was feeling burned out.<\/a> I was crying every day, which is unlike me, and I was also having panic attacks for the first time.<\/p>\n Things were getting worse, so I told my managers I needed to slow down. They responded well, taking some things off my plate, and I continued pushing through with a lighter workload. I thought by taking on less work, I’d be able to recover, but I didn’t realize how depressed I was and how difficult it would be to recover while you’re still in the system.<\/p>\n Quitting wasn’t simple. As an immigrant from Brazil, I could have lost my visa. I also didn’t want to jump into another job because I had no idea what I actually wanted to do, so I stayed at Citi <\/a>while I tried to figure out what was next.<\/p>\n Burnout made me numb<\/p>\n In October 2024, I broke down at the gym. In the middle of a set. I started crying with no obvious trigger. This is exactly what happened the first time I was burned out when I was 16 and playing tennis.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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