Former investment banker quits Wall Street for wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe

After two years as an investment-banking analyst, a professional left finance in the summer of 2025 to work for a science-based conservation and community outreach nonprofit in southeastern Zimbabwe. In a first-person essay published by Business Insider, she described the decision as a search for meaningful relationships and positive impact rather than compensation or prestige.

The shift began with a question she asked her father: "What's the point of life?" After a long pause, he told her it was about being fully present during the brief period we get to be alive. The answer, she wrote, led her to conclude that fulfillment would not come from finance.

She spent months researching wildlife-conservation roles and applied for a fundraising and strategy position at a nonprofit in Zimbabwe. Having never visited the country, she packed her bags after reaching the two-year mark in banking. The move felt less like a radical departure and more like a return to herself, she said, because of a childhood spent outdoors riding horses and spending time in nature.