Private Equity Burn Out

I've had a few years as an IB analyst, about 6 years as a PE associate at a few different shops. Wonderful opportunities, met some great people, learned tons, but I'm burned out. The stress and demands on my time have taken their toll - each shop was the same, mind you, so I've concluded it's the nature of the deal industry. I'm in my late 20s, starting a family, and I'd like to reprioritize my time.

Any thoughts? I'm really looking for some great insight about what could work next to provide the work-life balance I seek. I was thinking about "real money" management as in mutual fund analyst/long-only work. Any other thoughts?

Thanks all for your help!

 

You have mentioned six years of experience at some top PE shops. Can you not get promoted into the VP level or seek out a VP role with a different firm? I personally am not in a PE role but I have little doubt the higher you go the more you can delegate tasks to someone else instead of being the office bitch. Don't mean that negatively but analysts and associates do all the grunt work.

 

Interesting post Monkey Scribe. I am having very similar feelings at the moment and I am starting to regret going down the finance route.

A lot of people say corporate development is the answer but it is still transaction based and therefore unpredictable with inevitable long hours!

For example, I have a friend in a corp dev role in a large firm. His life is usually super chilled 9-5.30 but for the three months up to Christmas he worked until 2am every morning + right through the Christmas. He is chilled as hell now again but who knows when things will get mental again?

I have looked at REPE as well but again, transaction based.

Equity Capital Markets is another area I have considered. But have heard varying things about the nature of the work and what the hours are really like.

Long only Asset Management appears to be the way to go. Very interesting work, good pay (potentially great if you are good), very chilled hours and generally a more laid back culture with an emphasis on development. The catch is that these are not easy jobs to land unless you have the experience.

I am thinking of a stint in ER first to get there (I am currently in banking). ER itself is not a bad alternative. Pretty predictable hours but with that said a 7am - 7pm average day is still long....and earnings season will be a bitch but finishing at 7pm every day and knowing when you'll be crazy busy would make a huge difference. Could definitely have a decent life.

Would love to hear others opinions and thoughts.

 

I think it depends on the size / reputation of the PE firms he's worked at. Even though he has 6+ years of buyside experience, I'm not sure that working at a no-name, lower MM firm (or even smaller) will help him get his foot in the door at F500 companies; keep in mind that there will be a number of blue-chip consultants and other finance / investment professionals trying to do the same.

That said, if he's been at upper MM / MF shops for 6 years, chances could be significantly better.

OP, alternatively, have you considered the bschool route?

 
Zatopek:

Interesting post Monkey Scribe. I am having very similar feelings at the moment and I am starting to regret going down the finance route.

A lot of people say corporate development is the answer but it is still transaction based and therefore unpredictable
with inevitable long hours!

For example, I have a friend in a corp dev role in a large firm. His life is usually super chilled 9-5.30 but for the three months up to Christmas he worked until 2am every morning + right through the Christmas. He is chilled as hell now again but who knows when things will get mental again?

I have looked at REPE as well but again, transaction based.

Equity Capital Markets is another area I have considered. But have heard varying things about the nature of the work and what the hours are really like.

Long only Asset Management appears to be the way to go. Very interesting work, good pay (potentially great if you are good), very chilled hours and generally a more laid back culture with an emphasis on development. The catch is that these are not easy jobs to land unless you have the experience.

I am thinking of a stint in ER first to get there (I am currently in banking). ER itself is not a bad alternative. Pretty predictable hours but with that said a 7am - 7pm average day is still long....and earnings season will be a bitch but finishing at 7pm every day and knowing when you'll be crazy busy would make a huge difference. Could definitely have a decent life.

Would love to hear others opinions and thoughts.

Why don't you start your own thread instead of butting into OP's. You're a junior banker, not a guy with 6+ years of buyside exp. And in any case it doesn't sound like you actually like anything about finance other than in theory.

 

mrb have you even read my post? What I said is directly applicable to the OP?

The OP said he was looking for insight about what could work next to provide the work-life balance he seeks. I outlined my views on the alternatives based on my experiences. Surely that is the point of the forum?

Also you know nothing about my background or the route I have taken. Is this thread limited to people who only have 6+ years of buyside experience?

Why not add something productive to the thread yourself instead of sh1tting on others?

 
Zatopek:

A lot of people say corporate development is the answer but it is still transaction based and therefore unpredictable
with inevitable long hours!

For example, I have a friend in a corp dev role in a large firm. His life is usually super chilled 9-5.30 but for the three months up to Christmas he worked until 2am every morning + right through the Christmas. He is chilled as hell now again but who knows when things will get mental again?

The difference is that you do not have to be in the office for those long hours, like you do as a banker. There are a few exceptions, but most people are in the office during normal work hours and complete the remainder of their work at home. And after closing a deal, most places allow you to work remotely for the next couple of days (potentially even a week at one F500 I know).

That really isn't too bad given the pay you get in corp dev vs many other corporate functions.

 

Not necessarily. Think about how lean some of those shops run compared to larger funds. In many cases, experienced associates and VPs are responsible for sourcing, modeling / vetting, prepping IOIs/LOIs, performing diligence, managing the process (QofE, legal, etc.), and managing portfolio companies.

All while traveling extensively.

 
Bullet-Tooth Tony:

Not necessarily. Think about how lean some of those shops run compared to larger funds. In many cases, experienced associates and VPs are responsible for sourcing, modeling / vetting, prepping IOIs/LOIs, performing diligence, managing the process (QofE, legal, etc.), and managing portfolio companies.

All while traveling extensively.

Nailed it

 

From my experiences, associates and the like at MM PE firms work just as much, if not more than their compatriots at the large firms. There are less people at these smaller firms, so inevitably there are less people to spread the work between. On the plus side, there are less people to split the pot of gold with.....

 
very.chipper:

From my experiences, associates and the like at MM PE firms work just as much, if not more than their compatriots at the large firms. There are less people at these smaller firms, so inevitably there are less people to spread the work between. On the plus side, there are less people to split the pot of gold with.....

Yeah, but at the same time the pot of gold is much larger at a megafund, since 20% of a $10 billion gain is much larger than 20% of a $1 billion gain. From my experience because MM firms have less partners, it's more hierarchical and harder to move up, vs a megafund where there is more of a lockstep promotion culture. Very raw deal in terms of long hours lower pay and harder promotion at MM PE firms

 

Really? I don't know anyone at a large cap fund that works less than their middle market counterpart. It has more to do with culture and the types of people willing to do to the fund, and less to do with how many people they employ. Your logic doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Sure they have less investment professionals, but they also have substantially less flow.

 
Best Response

Take some time off. Spend some time with your spouse/significant other (and kids if you have any). Travel, read a book, explore your town, volunteer, pick up/pursue a hobby. Whatever it is that floats your boat (or think might) and won't get you a divorce/break-up (unless you want one).

You'll learn a lot about yourself, others and what you want to do or might be able to do. Some good ideas here, but so many of them finance related or similar to what you did. There's a big world out there for you to explore, so why not think about it and do something in the meanwhile? You never know where something will come in or what tomorrow will bring.

In addition to the stuff that's been bandied about here, you could consider doing LP stuff (fund investing, co-investing etc). You'd know some deals inside out and be able to grill GPs. You could look into a family office. You could help a start-up/small business since you can execute all kinds of things and have knowledge while learning a lot.

Good Luck.

I used to do Asia-Pacific PE (kind of like FoF). Now I do something else but happy to try and answer questions on that stuff.
 

For the CorpDev route, from my observation of my CorpDev Team's hours, the hours are pretty decent 40-50 hours if not on a deal/special project (depending on your CorpDev team's scope). If on a deal the hours shoot up to 60-80 hour weeks with the possibility of even more. A lot of it depends if you are on a deal which is unpredictable as you may find a great opportunity back to back (as my team did) and have very minimal regular hours.

Even worse is if CorpDev decides to do two deals at once. You should keep in mind that CorpDev usually runs VERY lean, I've seen two people running the M&A process at multibillion $ companies.

But then I am pretty sure the OP already knew about CorpDev.

 

The thing about CorpDev, especially at F500s that aren't either acquisition platforms or in industries where there is a constant M&A, is that the deals can be driven by a single guy (where CFO, VP corp dev, etc.) who has buy-in, and if he either loses credibility and/or leaves the party is over. See SBUX for a good example.

At 6 years experience, Bschool isn't out of the question, and if you aren't getting looks from the long-only shops, might be the way to go.

 

BSchool is not for me. I'm pretty committed to that.

Does anyone have long-only intel? I love investing, I love the markets, I love corporate situations and am equipped with the tools to be a great analyst. My problem with fast money/HF is that lifestyle isn't much butter, and the stress wouldn't help with my work/life balance goals.

I seem to have it in my mind that long-only shops would value my experience, so I think I could work from a candidacy perspective. However, I'd love to hear some views from folks who are currently doing long-only/real money management. Am I wrong to think it's a better lifestyle (even if that means much more limited upside)? Is this just another "grass is always greener" mirage?

Love the community support, btw. I really do value everyone's input.

 

There's definitely life after PE. I think a lot of people on this site mean well but experience is across the board. I did IB/PE/MBA thing and there are definitely interesting careers that are better work/life.

MBA may not be for you but at least it gives you time to think about what to do, etc. In any case, keep an open mind...there's a lot more out there than corp dev/long-only/etc. Hell, I didn't even know my job/profession existed until I stumbled on it and i have no idea how to answer the inevitable "what do you do" question whenever I meet someone.

Your experience will make you an attractive candidate across industries (i.e. they'll assume you'll be able to figure out whatever job it is). "Real money management" may have better hours but don't do it just for work-life balance....people get burnt out in 9-5/40 hr week jobs all the time.

I don't have thoughts on specific careers but just my 2 cents.

 
jrr253:

There's definitely life after PE. I think a lot of people on this site mean well but experience is across the board. I did IB/PE/MBA thing and there are definitely interesting careers that are better work/life.

MBA may not be for you but at least it gives you time to think about what to do, etc. In any case, keep an open mind...there's a lot more out there than corp dev/long-only/etc. Hell, I didn't even know my job/profession existed until I stumbled on it and i have no idea how to answer the inevitable "what do you do" question whenever I meet someone.

Your experience will make you an attractive candidate across industries (i.e. they'll assume you'll be able to figure out whatever job it is). "Real money management" may have better hours but don't do it just for work-life balance....people get burnt out in 9-5/40 hr week jobs all the time.

I don't have thoughts on specific careers but just my 2 cents.

And this is what's key - "people get burnt out in 9-5/40 hr week jobs all the time"

  • too true. 40 hour jobs can be hard. Not because of the hours or potential politics etc (which do exist) or boring/uninspiring. But because then you have all other kinds of thinsg going on that you have to/want to pay attention to and do and may over-extend yourself (which happens all the time). Before you couldn't. Your life was work and maybe family and the odd friend (I don't see how it is otherwise, because its a fact that there at 24 hours in a day for all of us and if you are spending at 12-16 of them working, sometimes more) then that doesn't leave much time for sleeping, eating, showering, taking a dump etc. Not to mention quality family time or bonding with friends.
I used to do Asia-Pacific PE (kind of like FoF). Now I do something else but happy to try and answer questions on that stuff.
 

Agree. I made the move from F500 to a small PE firm years ago. The 40 hour jobs were hard and not very rewarding. The hours ramped up when I entered PE, as did time away from family and home, but it was worth it. Worked for the small shop 5-6 years, did well and stated my own shop. Life couldn't be better.

My point is find a place where you are happy doing PE, even if it is way off the beaten path. If you can find the deals and grow the businesses in a way that generate attractive returns LP's remember you. I believe some of the best returns are to be made in smaller deals.

Assuming your current PE track record is decent, I think you will be amazed at how many small shops will take you on. More importantly, I think you will find some of the smaller shops to be a lot of fun to be part of (making the longer hours bearable).

Good luck!

 

I work in CD for a highly acquisitive (albeit non-tech) company. Worst week I've had is about 65 hours. Most weeks between 45-50 hours. Much more laid back and the work can be very interesting.

The best aspect is that you aren't a middle-manager cog in the machine that the CEO wouldn't know from John Doe. Typical CD groups (at least at companies where M&A is valued) get ton of exposure to the top executives in the company. If you show well, it could set you up well to move into a leading operational, sales, or P&L role.

 

This comment may not give you any direct ideas, but make sure you do plenty of planning and "right-sizing" of your budget before you get too far down the proverbial road. Regardless of any of the other options you might move to in finance (perhaps with the exception of a good year in ECM), you will likely have a rude awakening when it comes to the adjustment in comp.

I moved from the in-house counsel side at a PE/VC shop to the associate side (JD/MBA), and then ultimately moved into an operating role with a corporate VC sponsor that is active in internal incubation. it's corp dev-like and I work extensively with the corp dev group, but largely without the stress.

as a note, i also went to a market that is not awash in "investment finance" talent. that actually helped me leverage my comp. just a point, YMMV.

 

This comment may not give you any direct ideas, but make sure you do plenty of planning and "right-sizing" of your budget before you get too far down the proverbial road. Regardless of any of the other options you might move to in finance (perhaps with the exception of a good year in ECM), you will likely have a rude awakening when it comes to the adjustment in comp.

I moved from the in-house counsel side at a PE/VC shop to the associate side (JD/MBA), and then ultimately moved into an operating role with a corporate VC sponsor that is active in internal incubation. it's corp dev-like and I work extensively with the corp dev group, but largely without the stress.

as a note, i also went to a market that is not awash in "investment finance" talent. that actually helped me leverage my comp. just a point, YMMV.

 

Adjunct finance professor at your alma mater? My PE professor had a similar background.

My posts will be fraught with grammatical errors since I post from my phone. I will try my best not to post an incoherent babble.
 

Yup everything said about Dev is pretty spot on. We have some guys at my company that did IBD->PE--> B School --> PE --> Corp Dev. You can come in at a pretty high level, make decent money and the hours are a flexible 40-50 a week, meaning that I've tried to set up meetings with guys and have had their EAs tell me that so and so left at 2pm today to do xyz.

 

Couple thoughts on this related generally to finance burnout but not specific to PE.

1.) If you're already burnt out, don't start a family! At least not until you have the mortgage and student loan paid off. It's nice to be able to work in this business- it sucks to need to work in this business. 2.) 2nd taking some time off. You deserve a 3-6 month sabbatical after six years. Lehman actually used to have a policy that every five years, you could take 6 months unpaid leave and they would hold your job for you. In this industry, taking a several month break every 2-3 years is probably a good idea.

 

1) Academia (get a PhD in finance/economics) 2) Work for the FBI investigating financial and other white collard crimes 3) Completely change paths and work as an analyst for the CIA/NSA 4) Take a shot at the foreign service with the U.S. State Department 5) Join a commercial bank in some sort of Treasury capacity and set yourself up for future executive positions 6) Bank examiner with the SEC or FDIC 7) Analyst and economics roles at the Federal Reserve

 

I've thought about 2-4 before, more close 3-4... biggest issue IMO is that you'll essentially be making $50-70k a year for the rest of your life, so hopefully you have family money. And more importantly, there's really nothing noble in these professions. You're a tool used to implement someone else's political whims. Don't ask questions, don't ask why, just do it and let the politicians worry about keeping the moral compass centered. LOL.

 
DCDepository:

1) Academia (get a PhD in finance/economics)
2) Work for the FBI investigating financial and other white collard crimes
3) Completely change paths and work as an analyst for the CIA/NSA
4) Take a shot at the foreign service with the U.S. State Department
5) Join a commercial bank in some sort of Treasury capacity and set yourself up for future executive positions
6) Bank examiner with the SEC or FDIC
7) Analyst and economics roles at the Federal Reserve

You gravely underestimate how difficult it is to get a meaningful job with the FBI / CIA / DIA / NSA. The vetting process alone can take years, depending on the role.

 
Whiskey5:
DCDepository:
1) Academia (get a PhD in finance/economics)
2) Work for the FBI investigating financial and other white collard crimes
3) Completely change paths and work as an analyst for the CIA/NSA
4) Take a shot at the foreign service with the U.S. State Department
5) Join a commercial bank in some sort of Treasury capacity and set yourself up for future executive positions
6) Bank examiner with the SEC or FDIC
7) Analyst and economics roles at the Federal Reserve

You gravely underestimate how difficult it is to get a meaningful job with the FBI / CIA / DIA / NSA.
The vetting process alone can take years, depending on the role.

I'm not gravely estimating anything at all. I'm suggesting different career paths.

 

Fund of funds - that focus on purely distributing risk across fund managers in diff geographies (perhaps asset classes but you may have to widen your kbiwledge base accordingly) and no coinvestments. Good Luck.

 

Ipsam sed id qui id dolor dicta fuga. Omnis saepe facere omnis rem. Facere molestias cumque veritatis aut. Ad et a molestiae ab eius nihil labore.

Pariatur voluptates et repellat eos sed rerum dolor. Sunt voluptas quis commodi beatae id. Dolores sit reprehenderit consectetur ut aut. Hic labore est iusto quos.

Recusandae in et sapiente culpa. Cum saepe ratione molestias. Qui velit voluptates aut qui aspernatur.

 

Est incidunt aliquid beatae dolorum. Laudantium ipsa est corporis non. Fuga est iure atque perferendis exercitationem et. Voluptatibus vel accusantium vel ad minima debitis.

Consequatur non voluptatem sed et qui. Inventore aut est nesciunt neque est et similique. Qui exercitationem aut repudiandae quisquam porro blanditiis voluptas. Sunt eos praesentium exercitationem aperiam.

 

Velit enim praesentium ipsum velit aut. Quibusdam et vel nemo voluptatem.

Quia amet cupiditate sit iusto. Atque est atque reiciendis nulla beatae laudantium. Ea dolor sint fuga qui architecto. Est explicabo eaque nobis beatae. Veniam dolor quia cum ut aut eum voluptate quia. Autem et consequatur culpa voluptatem aut.

Et qui aut veritatis dicta dolore. Sed consequuntur atque temporibus sit beatae. Est inventore nisi neque omnis in cupiditate. Aut dolorum sapiente dolorem qui tempore. Libero voluptas odio iure aut et est dolore beatae. Eligendi alias aspernatur minus quis. Quibusdam sit sed qui alias ipsum occaecati.

Global buyer of highly distressed industrial companies. Pays Finder Fees Criteria = $50 - $500M revenues. Highly distressed industrial. Limited Reps and Warranties. Can close in 1-2 weeks.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (21) $586
  • Vice President (90) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (88) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (204) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (385) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (28) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (245) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (313) $59
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...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
pudding's picture
pudding
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”