I am leaving investment banking to be a cop

Hi there folks, been some time since I last mingled around here.

So here's my story: Used to work in M&A for a bulge bracket bank, first in a LatAm country (despite the fact that I am European) and then in NYC. My experience moving to NYC was so bad that I left the bank within months, despite having good reviews and being on the verge of receiving my associate offer. I did not like the kind of person this industry was turning me into, and the future prospects it offered.

All that ambition, all those desires of being the very best of the pool and get deals done, was gone. I opened my eyes to the fact that my and my employers' contribution to the world was far from Accretive and decided it was time for me to think of something new.

The same day I quit I learnt I was going to be a father, so we moved back to our home country and I took a gig on a local MM boutique to pay the bills while I thought of the next step. Working here only validated my previous analysis. Additionally, I was so fed up with the finance/corporate world that I realized I needed to do something completely different, so I started to reminisce about the stuff I liked as a kid.

And that's how I came up with the idea of becoming a cop in my home country. We are talking about national corps, so think about FBI, Gendarmerie and the like.

I understand this is a rare step, so happy to answer your questions if you have any.

 

Just my personal opinion here. I would like to bring up a point. Office job does not mean that it is not making a different. For your case, let's talk about the Osama bin Laden when he was killed by a US special forces military unit on 2nd May 2011. Do you think that it was the guy who pulls the trigger who really made a different? I am sure there was an entire network of intelligent team that was combing through all the data and was going through boring slide presentations to make their case on how to go after Osama bin Laden. I think that everything in life is boring (at least the process is) > the more important thing is to what end (i.e. killing Osama bin Laden vs making a few already rich client richer). Plus you are going to be a dad soon. Are you comfortable making your wife wait every day at home don't know whether you will be able to return home safely? I don't think you can do that if you really love her. Another thing is that as a role model to your son, you don't need a cop to do that. A role model means someone who stands for something, someone who is willing to do everything to protect and provide for their loved ones. And to every father who is doing everything he can to provide, care and love for his own family is a good dad and a good role model.

 
dutchduke:
AllDay_028:

Moving from one career full of narcissistic assholes to another career full of narcissistic assholes.

Except one group actually does shit that can sometimes truly make a difference while the other licks asshole for deals and spends most of their time back slapping others.

Back in my time, we used to lick a whole lot of assholes clean, before the '08 toilet paper came
GoldenCinderblock: "I keep spending all my money on exotic fish so my armor sucks. Is it possible to romance multiple females? I got with the blue chick so far but I am also interested in the electronic chick and the face mask chick."
 
TacoBanana:

It depends on which group you end up in. With my profile, it is highly likely the I will have my chances at financial crimes, though is not my cup of tea. Looking for something more 'material'. Special Operations or Homicides are my two favorites so far, let's see what happens when I get into the academy!

Again, this comes back to my comment below about how you seem to think finance roles are not important, even in law enforcement!

White collard crime units do everything from tracking and disabling terrorists to blowing the lid off of Ponzi schemes that are stealing money from innocent people. You're well educated, successful, married, with a kid but you have the intellectual depth of a high school student. I don't get your kind of thinking.

Array
 

The fact that you cannot understand my reasons does not give you the right to be disrespectful. That said, for someone who has done banking for some time it is pretty obvious that it is a job that has an impact on a ridiculously small amount of people (we are talking about m&a here). Honestly, I do not feel like helping wealthy people to increase its net worth, which at the end of the day its what it is about. It is also pretty obvious once you know the industry, that advisory clients know their markets and potential buyers way better than any sector team, unless we go to the extreme cases: huge cross-border transactions or small family business; and as someone smarter than you and I once said, I do not reason over extreme cases. The boldness of your statements makes me think that you know very little about what this job is really about. Then again, I might be mistaken and this is all a matter of my lack of 'intelectual depth'.

EDIT: Sometimes, you'd be better off reading twice what others said before answering. I am curious to learn from you where did I say white collar law enforcement roles are not important.

 
TacoBanana:

The fact that you cannot understand my reasons does not give you the right to be disrespectful. That said, for someone who has done banking for some time it is pretty obvious that it is a job that has an impact on a ridiculously small amount of people (we are talking about m&a here). Honestly, I do not feel like helping wealthy people to increase its net worth, which at the end of the day its what it is about. It is also pretty obvious once you know the industry, that advisory clients know their markets and potential buyers way better than any sector team, unless we go to the extreme cases: huge cross-border transactions or small family business; and as someone smarter than you and I once said, I do not reason over extreme cases.
The boldness of your statements makes me think that you know very little about what this job is really about. Then again, I might be mistaken and this is all a matter of my lack of 'intelectual depth'.

EDIT: Sometimes, you'd be better off reading twice what others said before answering. I am curious to learn from you where did I say white collar law enforcement roles are not important.

I don't know if it's your poor English skills or what, but what you just wrote makes almost no sense (I'm honestly not sure how to respond). So let me focus on my criticisms of your comments.

You said in your opening statement that investment banking is not "Accretive". That's demonstrably wrong. Maybe your teams sucked(?), but investment banking plays a simple but important role--it matches businesses with capital (and there are offshoots of that, such as M&A). I don't know how it is in Greece, but in much of the world businesses are the ones that typically employ people; businesses are the ones that create new and useful products and increase the quality of life for people. If you can't see the role that investment banking plays in that circle then it's because you're too intellectually shallow to connect the dots.

Then in response to a question about pursuing white collared crimes, you stated that you wanted to work in something more "material." Well, I've got news for you, buddy--white collared crime units bust pretty bad people who do pretty sociopathic things, such as steal money from the elderly, or bring down companies that employ hundreds of thousands of people (e.g. Tyco). That you would call that "immaterial" reflects either your poor English skills (maybe you're trying to communicate another thought?) or a complete lack of intellectual depth.

Array
 

For you and others reading this conversation, I'll clarify that by "material" I meant tangible. Regarding the rest of your rant, which included the definition of investment banking by the book, I won't bother commenting it. I am not getting into a feud with someone who only insults in every answer and is clearly not interested on having an intelligent/productive conversation. Take care bud.

 
Controversial
TacoBanana:

For you and others reading this conversation, I'll clarify that by "material" I meant tangible.
Regarding the rest of your rant, which included the definition of investment banking by the book, I won't bother commenting it. I am not getting into a feud with someone who only insults in every answer and is clearly not interested on having an intelligent/productive conversation. Take care bud.

Seriously? You put down an entire industry as "not Accretive" (by that you mean "serves no purpose to society") and you're pissed off that someone would call you out? I "insulted" your language skills after you insulted me by saying I know very little about the industry (which is a f*cking joke, by the way).

Instead of acting like a little bitch, why don't you man up and prove to me how much better educated you are in the field than me. Man up and defend your asinine position that investment banking serves no purpose to society. Explain to me why well educated wealthy people throw their money down the drain for a product that doesn't serve them.

Array
 

I strongly disagree that M&A kind of work only make rich more richer and do not create much value. M&A deals are highly important part of business and industry history. Especially with the size of BB M&A deals, they are even more so. You are therefore kind of like a historian. That is why every deals should be executed perfectly - treated as a piece of history. If you are a fond of learning history, I don't think you will ever view M&A work simply as making rich more richer- its way much significant than that.

 

Prior to leaving banking, did you have a contact within the Intelligence's industry that perhaps influenced you to jump over? A rare step indeed, but curious -- what kind of questions did they ask you during the interview? Despite getting the offer, did you sense a doubt from them during the interview since you had zero relevant experience?

 

Just to be clear, I am not a cop yet. I am currently preparing for the exams, that usually take place after summer and will leave my current job after bonus, a couple of months before the exam.

No one in my family works in anything remotely similar, howerver, once I had made my mind, a close relative introduced me someone from the corps that helped a lot by answering some of the thousands of questions I had.

Though I have not done the interview yet, what you are asking is somethign I have been thinking a lot lately. Being such a vocational profession, I will probably have to prepare very well my case in order to make it through (i.e.: why didn't you take the exam right after undergrad, why the career change, etc.)

 

Bold move!

How big a nest egg do you have? (Ranges are fine). How do you feel about the income hit? Taking any steps to downgrade lifestyle? Is this a European country w/ a great safety net for middle class folks, or is it currently in economic distress (Spain, Greece, etc)? Were there any other jobs/careers you were considering?

 

My wife and I are thinking of my savings as a complement to her salary (she will take the exams to be a public school teacher this summer), so we should be fine without a huge amount (20-30k), specially considering the cost of living here vs. the US, for example.

We are already taking measures to downsize our level of expenses: we are moving away from the capital downtown to a suburb about 50km away, where we have relatives that can help us with domestic stuff while my wife works and I study.

For some time I considered VC as a potential alternative, until I realized that it would be in the same position a couple of months down the road (office work, excel monkey, little value added in general terms, long hours, etc.).

I am from a Southern European country affected by immigration, if that helps you to have an idea.

 

You get to drive a lambo and eat pasta and drink wine all day. Sweet deal imho. Call me when you want to get back into banking. Always there for un amico from the homeland.

GoldenCinderblock: "I keep spending all my money on exotic fish so my armor sucks. Is it possible to romance multiple females? I got with the blue chick so far but I am also interested in the electronic chick and the face mask chick."
 
TacoBanana:

Even if I don't like it, it will be about doing something I don't like 30 hours a week, as opposed to doing it 100 hours.

But you won't be doing 100 hours for rest of your life no? There are many other areas of finance you can venture into, but it appears that you don't want anything to do with "an office job".

I like how you want to be practical and work in a role where your decision matters, and perhaps you can directly see the impact of the decision you make. But being a cop has its own challenges, seeing the very dark sides of this world, going through extremely disturbing cases, and etc. There are plenty of cops that are struggling with this; you just don't see it from outside. Hope it works out for you though.

 

If I was your friend I would be asking you "What the hell are you thinking?" and trying to get you to reconsider your move. I think every person should pursue their dreams and being happy is, in many ways, more fulfulling than just money but hear me out.

IB is a very tough career, there's a lot of very smart, talented, and successful people that work in it. The career opportunities are great, as is the compensation, and exit opportunities are numerous. Why go from being a top paid private sector professional to a government job I could train a chimp to do?

If you didn't like banking, you could still exit years later and do something great with your life in another way if you stuck it out. You're obviously a reasonably smart guy, why not med school, engineering, etc,? A cop? Do you have family (wife, kid) to care for? Have you thought about how stepping down the ladder that much will impact them, and if you don't have family to care for have you thought about how it will impact your future?

Totally understand people want to follow their passions, but I think this is a case of wasted talent. Best of luck to you in life.

 

Thank you ThrowaDart, believe me when I say I appreciate your words and hear what you are saying.

This said, there are a couple of things I would like to add some light on:

Of course, IB has its perks, I enjoyed them and enjoyed hard. Some of my best years in personal and professional terms were spent working in banking in Latin America. This is way beyond a "I do not want to do banking anymore" rant. And if you believed that for a second, I failed miserably on conveying the message I wanted to.

Secondly, I strongly disagree with your point saying that this is something a monkey could do. I have met very smart people in the corps or willing to join them, including some PhD. Perhaps you are overestimating the intelect of bankers (which I can say it did not impress me, though I met some really smart kids), or just perhaps do not know much about the type of job we are talking about, either case your comment seems a bit unfair.

Thirdly, what makes you think that talent can only be put to a good use at a high earning job? What if I want to develop my non-profitable interests? Using my intelligence for something that does not provide an income is a waste? If that is your opinion, I have to say I could not disagree more.

Finally, with my income as a cop and my wife's (who even if I stayed as a banker would work as a teacher, she just is in love with her job) we would still be far above the average household in mu country, and would provide for a more than decent living. What else do we need? We are from humble origins, not very into saint tropez or dining at Daniel every month.

At any rate, let me insist that I do appreciate your comment. Not having reality checks would drive to a irreflexive decision-making process. All the best for you too mate.

 

Perhaps our countries are different, but in the US cops are generally people that barely finished high school. It's not a job that takes much intelligence, it just simply isn't. I didn't want to convey that I was only suggesting high earning jobs as the other opportunities, doctor and engineer just came to mind because they take intelligence.

If you want to start a non-profit and help sick children or impoverished people, do you think you'd have a better chance of succeeding in this effort as a MD of an investment bank or a cop? You and your wife may be humble and may be able to live comfortably on just those two salaries, but wealth is freedom. God forbid she or your kid becomes sick, or you need to leave the country, or a thousand other unexpected thigns come about, having more wealth with a better career only benefits you and your family. Humble or not, it could very well be the difference between your children going to a top school or not and having a better life.

Appreciate your kind reply, have a good one!

 

"Government job I could train a chimp to do", lol... People like you explain why we see so many cases where cops make the wrong decisions and kill unarmed people (example). The decisions you are FORCED to take as a cop can be unbelievably impactful (you are dealing with people's lives...), there is a shortage of talent in blue collar environment.

 

"train a chimp to do"... Ridiculously ignorant statement to the men and women who keep us safe in our home environments. Yes, I too get speeding tickets and get pissed about it. Yes, there are police who abuse their power. But I for one like living in a country of relative order. One where I can call someone if there is an intruder in my home- where there's a pretty good chance that I won't get car jacked in most areas.

So take it easy on the chimp comments and be happy no one has jacked your starter Rolex getting off the subway yet.

 

Would actually be interested to hear your thoughts as an outsider/insider on the status of and sentiments towards police here. Promise I won't make this a debate, your history and perspective is a unique one and I think holds value.

Congrats on the decision, and good luck!

 

Good for you man. That's great to hear you didn't let the industry's golden handcuffs lock you into something that you were internally conflicted about. Fact of the mater is, pursuing finance long term isn't for everyone, even for those that are successful in breaking in. Life is too short to spend killing yourself over something you don't like.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 

You really want to write speeding tickets, pick up people for DUIs, settle domestic violence disputes and shit like that? Then surround yourself by a group of assholes who are just high school graduates? All they want to do is go to a bar and get plastered after work. All of whom will view you as an elitist asshole for no other reason than you're different. Not to mention the mediocrity and bureacracy that you'll be dealing with.

You have nothing in common with these people. Do you really want to submit yourself and family to that?

 

You probably did not read the opening post through the end. Federal cops do not handle traffic, and have morr specific/technical competences. Also, I mentioned it earlier in the thread: for the position I am applying to, having a university degree is a minimum requirement, so I am not really sure what are you talking about.

About the 'getting plastered after work' nonsense, that's funny, you just described the analyst pool of a bulge bracket bank.

 

Alright, an agent position. Pretty much nothing changes from my initial point and that getting plastered doesn't change when they're 40. I'm telling you, the type of person who was motivated to get into a top school and investment banking is going to be suffocated by a working stiff/blue collar culture especially in government.

 

Hey man,

Maybe you should relax and try to understand OP. This guy is only 28. He has millions of bright possibilities going for police career. After number of years, he can go to law school to have a more influential and challenging role within police. Also, who knows? He may even be applying for a secret service agent or can later be secret service agent later in his career. What career trajectory and job you have is important but what you make of it is more important. Smart people make something of themselves and shine wherever direction they take their career into.

 

Congrats for the move. I actually took the test here in the US a long time ago. At one point I wanted to be a forensics/investigator.

I have had the opportunity to work alongside men and women of law enforcement, both local and federal, many years back. Sadly, some of whom drown their lives filled with bitterness and angry...which is common these days. This line of work is not for those who are materialistic, so to hear that from what I read earlier from you...it's a big plus!

Most agents and LEO's I know hold at least a bachelor's degree, some Masters/MBA, two that eventually got a JD after service.

I am thankful that I live in a country that I can dial 911 for a police to show up during a situation, risking their lives in an effort for public service. Without these guys, a lot of bad would've happened as oppose to good.

Question - Have you thought about a particular division you want to work within the agency?

 

That's an interesting perspective, investigations...you won't get much sleep working this kind of job. I dated a coroner in the past, and she told me that the investigators got phone calls practically 24/7 being in Los Angeles, California.

I know for SWAT and OPS teams such as, you need good reviews from your first job on the force and pass the exams given. The two cops and agent I knew were all being recommended by their peers to go that route.

If you get to go SWAT, do it. I met one not too long ago at a Walmart, he said it was the best decision ever.

I mean, who doesn't love kicking doors down and holding an AR?

 

If you don't mind me asking, OP, are you from the southern or northern part of your country? I ask because I figured with your background you could end up working at Bocconi or other prestigious business school if you wanted to, depending on your education credentials and interests, obviously. Was Guardia di Finanza ever in your mind (I know that is very prestigious in your country)? Buon lavoro ragazzo, da Milano a te!

 

Are you independently wealthy? Are you confident in gaining funds to support your PhD studies? Cuz PhD can take a long time and can be even longer if you have bad luck. Are you aware getting tenureship or even an adjunct position is really difficult? Do you realize professor salary is pathetically low considering the amount of effort you put it? If you are perfectly ok with the above then then PhD and academia is for you.

 

I cannot really comment on the choice without knowing more about the country, but most cops where I live (NYC) certainly do not report particularly positive work environment or great fulfillment from their jobs. Rather, the draw of the career is being able to retire at the age of 40 with a six figure pension. From there you can take another security job (retired cops are in demand for lots of very solidly compensated private gigs such as security at all banks/hedge funds/etc that we talk about on this board) and have a very solid income.

However, I do know a couple of friends from high school who went to the academy and became cops for the more "pure" reasons you cite, but they both blew out in under a year when they realized the reality didn't meet the james bond fantasy. Arresting mentally ill homeless people, talking down drunks outside of bars, and doing paperwork dont usually make it into the movies.

 

Not sure why you are understanding that this choice is fueled by a Bond-ish fantasy.

Where you see "arresting mentally ill people" I see an opportunity to help people who really needs it on a toe-to-toe basis (sure, the "System" is far from perfect, but I would rather help a homeless guy feel safe for a night than giving away hundreds or thousands of dollars a month to heal my conscience).

 

The proverbial grass is always proverbially greener. From a first principals standpoint in life, we are all meaningless creatures that are living in a dimension that has already played out where we all fade into nothingness eventually. So in a sense, we are all connected in that we fade to nothing, and we are all living lives that have been lived in the future. With these two points in mind, the key to being happy is to have enough of what you want, and just enjoy the moment no? - i'm working on the last part, not sure what the key really is yet but i figure that i'm okay with that, and life will tell me as i walk down these adventures. I dont think ppl that do things they want will ever look back and feel like i fucked up, so i guess that's the only criteria i'd say is important.

 

There was a similar (though more "glamorous") thread 5(?) years ago about a guy quitting investment banking to become a musician where he implied that finance isn't valuable to the world. I pointed it out then (to much hatred leveled at me)--and I'll point it out now--that finance is most certainly beneficial to the world. I don't understand your comment about how investment banking isn't "Accretive" to the world. If that were the case how in the world do these banks get customers to pay them money?

In 2016 I started my own business with a partner; I very much hope to sell this business in a few years for a lot of money. I can only get top dollar by utilizing Wall Street financiers. Without them I can tell you that I certainly wouldn't be motivated to start a business, risk my own capital and reputation, hire people, and produce a valuable product. I just fundamentally--at my very core--disagree with the notion that financial services isn't a productive career path.

Array
 

have you considered the military in your country? depending on what country you are in, there is always a demand for things like fighter pilots.... would definitely give you the excitement you are looking for.

 

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss all office jobs, as there is tremendous variety in terms of what you can do while working in an office, and IB does seem to be uniquely shitty in terms of the lifestyle (or lack thereof) that it offers.

That said you only live once and you need to do something that you find genuinely interesting and rewarding, if possible.

I wouldn't let the income hit you'd take sway you that much (although I'm not sure how much you'd make as a cop in your home country). I know that guys in the NYPD don't make a ton of money starting out, but it seems to ramp up pretty quickly. Plus, you can retire after 20 years with a pension and then have a whole separate career (my grandfather retired from the FDNY after his 20 years of service--he was only in his early 40s and moved upstate to start a farm). Doesn't seem like such a bad life assuming that you can deal with the bureaucracy and you have the personality required to be a cop.

 

OP - do not listen to these butthurt lefties taking a dig at cops. I have the highest respect for the police as their work is very dangerous and they put their ass on the line to keep the community safe.

 

Why don't you try for something like cyber security? You can make 6 figures here in the US and the kind of people that do that in law enforcement and military are usually A LOT smarter than the average. Down the road you could start your own boutique and run it your way; you could literally have your pick of the litter from government workers with your background. Everyone's dying for leadership that can give them purpose.

 
  1. Giving up opportunity for entire family (kids, grand kids, yourself included) to become financially independent and pursuing dreams without regard to financial rewards, getting top medical treatment, comfortable living now and in the future, access to top educational system, etc.

  2. Becoming government employee in a fragile country in an unsustainable region with a crazy welfare system that is completely unsustainable, dominated by political populism and short-termism, decreasing work force, etc.

You might be leaving for a socialist country where everything is free TODAY. What you are forgetting is that the welfare model of these country (including your future salary) is highly unsustainable and the FUTURE will look much different in 10, 20 50 years..

Best of luck.

 

Socialist country? Nah, man, it's just Europe. It's a very different concept than that of the US. As i mentioned earlier, our base salaries combined are similar to that of a third year analyst at the beginning, and will ramp up thereafter, so we do not feel we are giving up anything. And if you honestly think that banking is a safe harbor in the long run, you are gonna have a hard reality check sometime soon man...

 

Everyone paying for everyone is socialist no matter where you are in the world.

I might have had different presumptions about your future job. Being a cop in my country is, while a very honest job, something that ensures financial instability for you and your family..

 

TacoBanana Congrats for pursuing your values!

After reading some of the comments it's amazing how closed-minded/immature some of the people here are and how they drank the IB kool-aid. Might be because they need to convince themselves that they are working for more than money and intellectual challenge.

I think that working for the equivalent of the FBI and doing investigations to catch bad guys, in a country that really needs it, is more valuable than anything that high-finance offers. The job creates value or at least re-distributes it as it targets the rich people that made their wealth illegaly (if you will be investigating financial crimes)

To provide some more transparency to the monkeys here: the institution he will represent is regarded as highly independent in a country where police is mired in corruption scandals. The population regards the employees of this institution, very highly and the requirements to get in are quite high.

 

Your life kinda sounds like mine... I've worked on a number of trading desk from BlackRock, Vanguard, BMO Capital Markets, BNY Mellon, BNP Paribas... (No Particular Order)... I've worked on the equity desk at BNY Mellon and the day after my son was born, I got fired. This guy was a huge jackass, but that's a different topic. Anyway, before I engaged into finance, I've always wanted to be a Navy SEAL my entire life. I ended up going to boot camp (Before Finance) but I was denied because of eyesight wasn't at par. I ended up taking a job as an MP and I've been an MP for close to 6 years now? I'm still young enough to fit the criteria of be an eligible SEAL candidate. I mean I'm telling you, I'm very physically fit (ran 7:30 in a mile and a half.. not a MILE) and mentally tough (I think I am at least)... I still dream about it. But having a baby now and the desk I work at sucks, I want to leave soon. I'm getting deployed in June (Reservist) for a year to Middleeast.. Maybe once I come back.

 

Use what you've learned in finance in a career that suits your personality, needs and plans for the future. I was forced into entrepreneurship several months ago (family emergency, had to takeover business from some folks) and - oh Lord - a stint at IB (BO, also LatAm) has helped me a lot as it turns out. Something I truly didn't know at a time. Also, on the 'Accretion' point: some office jobs add tremendous value. Think economists who manage crises, or consultants that advise charities in Africa. On the same note, doing office job as a cop can add massive value at some point in the future. Major policy overhauls happen in the office space too.

 

I can empathize. My old man (RIP) left a job as a successful journalist at 31 to become a cop. Wanted to make the world a better for his 18 month old son (yours truly). Besides, he covered the crime beat, so all of his friends were cops.

It's a tough life. You will not be appreciated like you deserve, no matter how much you are appreciated. You will see stuff that will change you forever. You will do stuff that will change you forever. The world will grey up considerably.

Take care of yourself. Find a healthy way to manage your stress (my dad didn't, and I buried him far too young). Remember that making the world a better place for your family includes making a good place for them at home.

Be strong, be smart, be good, and be safe. Godspeed.

 

Well, can't say it's not an interesting point of view. There is more in life than banking, and while as pointed before wealth is freedom, sometimes it takes less than we imagine to live comfortably.

As others mentioned before, you should look a bit more careful into financial crimes. These units handle a lot of interesting cases, and there is more opportunity to work in combined teams - usually in organized crime cases you can work alongside Homicides/Narcotics, and sometimes even the special ops people, as you will be present after raids to recover and analyze evidence. Also you will probably see more of your work translated into convictions, if this matters to you.

In most of Europe to be honest you probably will not get killed if you choose Homicide/Narcotics but the hours suck, and you're surrounded by really bad people, both against you and alongside you.

Just keep in mind that real life is not a movie - Working for governments usually means a lot of bureaucracy, meaningless processes and bad "office culture".

As a personal note: I worked for some time as a police intelligence analyst (organized crime & fraud for the State Police), then the US Embassy as a fraud investigator with the Diplomatic Security Service (not a special agent though, as I'm not a US citizen). I learned a lot and had a good time - But the pay was not really impressive and I was really struggling financially.

 

There are few things more pathetic than grown men running around playing soldier. Don't be a tax feeder. Create wealth, don't destroy it. If your service is desired, you will find an opportunity in the private sector.

 

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Dayman?
 

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Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

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  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

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  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

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