Herman Ko, 27, deferred his college graduation by one semester to intern at JPMorgan.He managed to land a full time role there but decided to quit just over three years into the job.Ko said the long hours, as well as a mismatch with his career aspirations, drove him to leave.This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Herman Ko, 27, a former banker at JPMorgan. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his employment history.I wasn't the most academically focused student back in college.I didn't have a perfect GPA, and I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do for my career. I only knew I wanted two things in a job one, it had to be prestigious, and two, it had to offer good career mobility if I ever wanted to leave my job.I decided to focus on getting a job at an investment bank. Admittedly, I was chasing a shiny object but it ticked all my boxes, whether be it in terms of pay, prestige, and exit opportunities.I figured that since there wasn't something I particularly enjoyed doing, I might as well pick a job that offered the maximum potential and benefits.That said, the journey to landing a job at a bulge bracket bank was tough. When I started applying for internships, my GPA was only 2.4 out of 4.3. I also didn't have any familial connections who could offer me job referrals.That drove me to approach my job hunt differently from most of my peers. I knew that I couldn't let my GPA, which is really just one line in my entire CV, define my application.To that end, I experimented with different interview methods and revised my CV countless times. I networked with finance professionals to get a better sense of what life is like on the trading floor. That way, I could try to position myself as an industry professional instead of a wide-eyed student trying to find his way.Another thing I did to distinguish myself during my internships was to perform magic tricks at events like my boss's birthday. That helped to leave a memorable impression on my colleagues.Deferring my graduation to clinch a gig at JPMorgan Ko said he had to give up his return offer at Deutsche Bank and defer his graduation by one semester to intern at JPMorgan. Herman Ko I actually secured a return offer from Deutsche Bank after interning for them, one year before my graduation.However, in my final year, I decided to apply to American banks since they are seen as more prestigious than their European counterparts. That's when I received a summer internship offer from JPMorgan.That presented two problems for me. Firstly, if I wanted to intern at JPMorgan, I had to give up my job offer at Deutsche Bank. Secondly, I had to defer my graduation by a semester in order to intern at JPMorgan as an undergraduate.Although it was a huge gamble, I decided to intern at JPMorgan anyway. To me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work at one of the top banks in the world.Fortunately, I did well in the internshipWorking at JPMorgan was an exhilarating experience. Everyone I got to work with was insanely smart. I learnt a lot from JPMorgan's in-house training as well as on the job.Leaving JPMorgan and charting a new path Ko said he's still able to use the sales and pitching skills he picked up at JPMorgan in his new role at Career Hackers, a human resources and education technology startup. Herman Ko After working at JPMorgan for about three and a half years, I decided to call it quits. For one, the long hours I was clocking were starting to take a toll on my body.I also realized that the work done in an investment bank is very specialized. In my case, I was tasked with marketing financial products specifically to financial institutions.That wasn't what I wanted for my career. I wanted to stay ahead of the curve and cover solutions powered by the latest technologies instead of traditional financial products.On a deeper level, I also wanted to challenge myself. Though I was achieving a lot at JPMorgan, I couldn't tell how much of that was driven by the bank's reputation. I wanted to see if I could still excel without relying on the JPMorgan brand.That eventually led me to my current employer, Career Hackers, a human resources and education technology startup. My new role aligned with my passions and interest in mentoring and technology.Even though I'm now working at a start-up, I can still use the sales skills I picked up at JPMorgan. As a junior banker, I got to learn the ropes by first taking meeting minutes and then gradually progress to lead client conversations myself.That has made the transition to my new role a lot smoother since startup work tends to be self-directed.Looking back, I have no regrets about starting my career at JPMorgan. The opportunities and exposure I got there could not have been found anywhere else.