Simon van Teutem: ‘Students look too much at what their environment thinks is cool’

Like many other ambitious students, Simon van Teutem wanted to change the world. Yet during an internship he found himself toiling late into the night for an investment bank. More and more often he wondered: what am I doing here and how did I end up here?

In his book De bermudadriehoek van talent (The Bermuda Triangle of Talent), writer, journalist and Oxford PhD candidate Simon van Teutem (29) examines why so many talented, idealistic young people disappear into meaningless jobs at banks, consulting firms and corporate law practices.

Why don’t they choose their original ideals and work for employers in the public sector, such as government, NGOs or charities? Univers speaks with Van Teutem on campus, shortly before his appearance at the Maktalk organised by student club MAK Tilburg.

Money initially turns out not to be the main reason students become bankers, consultants or corporate lawyers. What factors do play a role?

‘The most important is the idea of a springboard. Many of these students have been used from a young age to being among the best in their class and to feeling a certain competition. When they are about to graduate they think: I’ve worked so hard for this, so my first job has to be the right one.

‘Companies like McKinsey play into that cleverly. They say: you don’t have to choose yet or commit yourself. You can work for us in an honours programme for a few years and afterwards you can still become anything you want.

‘That promise is irresistible. Especially for students with big dreams and plans. It’s very safe when those plans remain abstract. Because as soon as you really start something, it can also fail.’

What else influences their choice?

‘Status is a motivation that shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s nice if at a networking drink, brunch or party you don’t have to explain exactly what it is that you do. It feels good to receive that recognition all the time.

‘It’s also important to be challenged. These companies offer places where you can experience personal growth and significantly increase your productivity.’

Can you imagine that the fear of failure is large?

‘Between the lines of my book you can read a bit of criticism of the education system. Rewarding people is built into our education system. You are rewarded when you do what is expected of you.

‘In the Netherlands this means you have to jump through the highest educational hoops and you’re not supposed to colour outside the lines. Let alone start a venture or fall flat on your face once.

‘Actually we should change the definition of success. For example by already teaching children in secondary school that they should use their talents and opportunities to give something back to society. And that success isn’t measured in money, but in what you do for others.’

Can you blame young people for looking at their future and thinking: I still don’t know or oversee everything?

‘Yes and no. In my book I therefore don’t so much criticise the individual, but rather the public sector. They don’t play the recruitment game very well and therefore lose out to banks, law firms and consulting agencies. But on the other hand I also think what Rutger Bregman says about personal moral ambition isn’t entirely unjustified.

‘Yesterday a student came up to me and asked: what should I do? Then I think: you’ve been walking around in this body for twenty years, you know what excites you. In that sense there’s a bit of laziness among students: they don’t look further than what is offered to them on a silver platter and what their environment thinks is very cool.’

Van Teutem continues: ‘Don’t be too afraid to listen to the little voice in your head: what do I find valuable, important and enjoyable? That search isn’t a linear process, but your student years are ideally suited for it. After all, you have plenty of time and freedom to try all sorts of things.

‘In any case, don’t make the mistake of collecting as many credentials as possible during your studies for things you don’t actually enjoy. In the end at most two or three qualifications will appear on your CV, because no employer is waiting for a three-page CV. Dare to choose something that is close to you and dare to ask yourself honestly: do I really want this?’

Companies like McKinsey, Bain and BCG have positioned themselves masterfully to lure in my generation, you write. How do they do that?

‘What they do cleverly is create an air of exclusivity. On the one hand they are extremely visible, including on campus. On the other hand they are very inaccessible, because they reject 99 percent of people.

‘I still remember when I received my internship offer from McKinsey in Amsterdam. I almost burst into tears. I had worked so hard to get there and now I had succeeded. It felt as if I had achieved something I could carry with me for the rest of my life.

‘At the time I was also convinced that at McKinsey I could specialise in work for the public sector. But that possibility turned out to be limited.’

During your internship at investment bank Morgan Stanley in London you worked every day until after midnight. After four weeks your girlfriend said: ‘This is self-destruction.’ But for you it wasn’t so much the long days that frustrated you, but the meaninglessness of the work.

‘At Morgan Stanley my hair started falling out and I took power naps in the toilet. I was organising Excel sheets until late at night and I didn’t see how that work contributed anything useful to society in terms of content.

‘It’s an open secret that more people ask themselves that question. Everyone knows it, but nobody says it out loud. Now I’ve described it in my book; I hope it sets something in motion.’

What advice would you like to give students of Tilburg University?

‘First of all, I understand if they think: nice and all the things you’re saying, but I’m still going to work in finance for a few years. In that case I have some tips to protect yourself a little.

‘For example, put part of your salary into a savings account every month so you don’t get used to that income. If after two years you want to work at a startup, you won’t fall into a salary gap.

‘A second piece of advice: find an accountability partner. That’s someone who holds you accountable for what you previously said you wanted to achieve.

‘Agree with a friend, colleague or family member that after two years they will say: you said that after two years at Deloitte you wanted to do something else. Are you still going to do that? Without such a mirror it’s very easy to keep postponing that decision.’

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