How Do You Deal With the BB Sweatshop Hours?
Currently an analyst at a top sweatshop group (GS TMT/MS M&A/Lazard/MoCo LA), just finished my 9th week in a row of 95 -140 hour weeks. Having trouble dealing with the hours.
It was a lot easier coping during my internship/fall because there was an end to the internship/fun events and in the fall there was Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is no end in sight right now, and I am having trouble thinking I can keep this pace up for the next 15 weeks til the interns get here. I keep telling myself the hours will ease up next year (second years have it better), but it is still a struggle.
I find myself turning more and more to alcohol to reduce the stress (tequila) , but in the long term it only does more damage (not as restful when I wake up). Given my compressed time frame it is mostly binge drinking in the 30-45 minutes I sometimes have before I fall asleep. If it wasn't for the trains in this city I would probably have a DUI or five.
Any advice? I keep looking at my bank account / reduction in my college loan balance, but it only goes so far. None of my friends at other banks have it this rough (seems like I am the exception, not the norm).
I know people will say there are a ton of other people willing to take my job, but I highly doubt many people could actually cope with this (we already had a Wharton/Harvard analyst with a 4.0 GPA drop out), so please save me that comment.
*Update*
Spoke to my staffer after an allnighter on Monday, basically said to buck up and shut up, so I guess that's what I will be doing. He described one of his experiences back in Iraq which gave me a new perspective on things. I am not getting shot at, have a shower, toilet and good food (plus getting paid 3x more than many people who do not have these amenities). 15+ more weeks is worth the wait.
only a junior, so i know my
only a junior, so i know my advice might be absolutely useless, but have you thought about leaving early to whatever next step of your career?
I would suggest anything but
I would suggest anything but alcohol. Try and find a hobby.
My hobbies include making
My hobbies include making powerpoint presentations, excel models, buyers logs, and correcting my associates mistakes, so I think I have that front covered.
you've gotta speak up and let
you've gotta speak up and let people know what's going on if you really can't handle it to see if you can get even a little more slack. otherwise, it's all about staying positive. it's very tough to do but you can do it. it's been done many times before -- and as long as you can handle it physically you can def train your mind to handle it mentally. the 1st year is hard because you're not as efficient in your first year. you'll get there. I'd try to cut out or ease up on the alcohol -- that can mess up what sleep you do get which has huge ripple effects given your days. understand that you made a commitment and do the best you can. you can definitely do this -- esp if you have survived this long. it's already march. summers get there in just a few months. this stretch of time is one of the toughest but if you get through it it's all downhill -- not a quick downhill, but you just get better and quicker and more efficient.
people have been doing this
people have been doing this job for years -- decades even. and in the old days they didn't have programs like CIQ / FactSet. Data rooms were actual rooms. Take some comfort in that.
I currently have a data room
I currently have a data room that is an actual room...my client is paranoid.
1. Keep your head up; 2 years
1. Keep your head up; 2 years is actually a short period of time, although the finish line looks very far away to you right now.
2. Take some small breaks here and there to just get out of the office and take a walk - it will actually make you more efficient and help clear your head.
3. Realize that most analysts go through some bad cycles - your friends may look to have it easier now, but their time will come. I had a brutal 3-4 month stretch as a second year.
4. Think critically about your daily schedule. Where are you wasting time? Are there any things that you can cut out? Is there daily time consuming work that is not deal related? Are there other ways that you can be more efficient in completing your work product? I realize that most of your productivity/work flow is outside of your control.
4. If you are getting >110 hrs/week regularly, then maybe talk to your staffer. Are all of the other analysts in your group working the same hours? Can you leverage resources from other groups/cross-staffed deal teams?
College student, so at this
College student, so at this point I can't really imagine working 140 hours... How has your general health progressed from when you started?
What helped me is probably
What helped me is probably what you already know: water, vitamins (multi, D3, Fish Oil, and B-complex minimum), cut out/back the booze. Try melatonin or if you're really frazzled Benadryl, it is a mild sedative. I used to do HIIT training (sprints) twice a week, so my body didn't go to total shit. If I wasn't working I slept or was relaxing. You get through it, hang in there.
DBCooper: What helped me is
What helped me is probably what you already know: water, vitamins (multi, D3, Fish Oil, and B-complex minimum), cut out/back the booze. Try melatonin or if you're really frazzled Benadryl, it is a mild sedative. I used to do HIIT training (sprints) twice a week, so my body didn't go to total shit. If I wasn't working I slept or was relaxing. You get through it, hang in there.
Don't take Benadryl to make you go to sleep. You'll most likely wake up feeling like shit.
I think you should just
I think you should just realize that in the long run you'll look back on these days and realize how short the 'pain' was relative to everything else in your life. I mean yeah, during the stint, 2 years might be a long time, but I would just continuously remind yourself that when you're 60-70 one day you can either look back on this time of your life and regret not pushing through or 2) be happy you disciplined yourself and maintained a positive attitude.
Either way, what the fuck do I know - I'm just a college student, but this exact mindset is what got me through some of my roughest times in the Military, so I guess it can sort of be applied here.
Bruce.Wayne: when you're
when you're 60-70 one day
That's quite the assumption to make given the hours...
rcm: DBCooper: What helped
What helped me is probably what you already know: water, vitamins (multi, D3, Fish Oil, and B-complex minimum), cut out/back the booze. Try melatonin or if you're really frazzled Benadryl, it is a mild sedative. I used to do HIIT training (sprints) twice a week, so my body didn't go to total shit. If I wasn't working I slept or was relaxing. You get through it, hang in there.
Don't take Benadryl to make you go to sleep. You'll most likely wake up feeling like shit.
Benadryl is the active sleep ingredient in Tylenol PM.
just think about the fact
just think about the fact that as long as you can take this for 2 years, you have a solid chance of moving to a PE associate role at Apollo, Cerberus, KKR, or some other top fund
DBCooper: rcm: DBCooper:
What helped me is probably what you already know: water, vitamins (multi, D3, Fish Oil, and B-complex minimum), cut out/back the booze. Try melatonin or if you're really frazzled Benadryl, it is a mild sedative. I used to do HIIT training (sprints) twice a week, so my body didn't go to total shit. If I wasn't working I slept or was relaxing. You get through it, hang in there.
Don't take Benadryl to make you go to sleep. You'll most likely wake up feeling like shit.
Benadryl is the active sleep ingredient in Tylenol PM.
Don't take Tylenol PM to make you go to sleep. You'll most likely wake up feeling like shit.
Only in college so take it
bIastoise: just think about
Here is an idea. Ask the
first step. get the fuck off
start giving 0 ****s and just
Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
I find taking 15-20 minute
ContemplatingBanker: Currentl
1/2 of the WSO Bash Brothers
"Licensed to Ill It"
We all know Bro J did it...
chi312: I would suggest
1/2 of the WSO Bash Brothers
"Licensed to Ill It"
We all know Bro J did it...
TechBanking: 1. Keep your
1/2 of the WSO Bash Brothers
"Licensed to Ill It"
We all know Bro J did it...
rufiolove: such an asset to
Why booze? You sound tired
We have all been there having
Dont drink alcohol. Drink
suck it up. Nobody is
OMS: first step. get the fuck
The idea of cutting back the
See my other WSO blog posts
.
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I know exactly how you feel
DonVon: Some of these
surferbarney: suck it up.
1/2 of the WSO Bash Brothers
"Licensed to Ill It"
We all know Bro J did it...
DaisukiDaYo: DonVon: Some
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ContemplatingBanker: (we
ContemplatingBanker: 95 -140
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Granted I've only done the 9
the hours you are putting in
Capitalist
Perspective 1) With this role
Quit and lateral. How do you
LBT: Quit and lateral. How do
target for life: 3) Most
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target for life: LBT: Quit
DonVon: target for life: 3)
target for
"Social cohesion and puritanical morality place roughly on my list of concerns between whether I'll pick up jock itch at the gym this week (not likely, since I don't go the gym) and whether it'll rain in Christchurch, New Zealand next Tuesday."
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target for
"An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows."
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target for life: LBT: Quit
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- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Check out my blog!