Financiers & Music

I am a self professed music lover - I can't be at home or walking anywhere without some fantastic metal playing on my iPhone or speakers. I'm also a long-time guitar player.

For all you other monkeys who cant live without your tunes be it at work, travelling or just chilling at home, how do you approach the whole 'headphones at work' thing?

Do you think it's rude and antisocial or just a way to remove distractions and focus yourself? Have you ever been asked to stop listening to music?

If you play an instrument has your work dampened your enjoyment of the instrument simply due to not having time to do it? Lets face it, your neighbours wont exactly be happy if you come home at 2am and start jamming some Slayer or Bach or *shudder* indie pop. How do you find the time to practice and keep your chops up to scratch?

 

1 headphone, medium volume of Steve Miller Band pandora has been by go-to this week.

Stevie Wonder pandora on any volume will guarantee higher productivity. The Stones aint bad either, hard to keep the volume down when skynyrd comes on though.

I was taught that the human brain was the crowning glory of evolution so far, but I think it's a very poor scheme for survival.
 

I'm a fan of low-volume single headphone. Most everyone at my office rock the headphone when they're at their desk. I even catch some Directors doing it. Probably just depends on culture though. (F500)

And between full-time f500 and evening MBA, I still find time to jam (although the GF hates when I come home and get on guitar or Excel - lol).

I'll do what I can to help ya'll. But, the game's out there, and it's play or get played.
 
JEmmerling:
I'm a big fan of the 1 headphone at any volume level. Allows you to hear if someone needs you and you still get to enjoy some tunes.
that's the play right there
"Because it's not worth winning if you can't win big!" - Coach Reilly
 
Banker88:
Live house music sets (edmtunesTV on Soundcloud) with both in-ear headphones. People will email or come up to your desk if they actually need your attention and you avoid useless phone calls.

I am in the same boat although I prefer the trance sets. Recently discovered Edmtunes and they do a great job with uploading recent sets

 
Banker88:
Live house music sets (edmtunesTV on Soundcloud) with both in-ear headphones. People will email or come up to your desk if they actually need your attention and you avoid useless phone calls.

Absolutely same here.

Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso @ Privilege is a fantastic set, though I quite liked new Tiesto as well.

 
damngringo:
Banker88:
Live house music sets (edmtunesTV on Soundcloud) with both in-ear headphones. People will email or come up to your desk if they actually need your attention and you avoid useless phone calls.

Absolutely same here.

Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso @ Privilege is a fantastic set, though I quite liked new Tiesto as well.

Excellent tip. Does evoke the desire to bust out of this suit though....

"After you work on Wall Street it’s a choice, would you rather work at McDonalds or on the sell-side? I would choose McDonalds over the sell-side.” - David Tepper
 
Banker88:
Live house music sets (edmtunesTV on Soundcloud) with both in-ear headphones. People will email or come up to your desk if they actually need your attention and you avoid useless phone calls.

Sounds like me. ASOT and TATW all week long with the occasional International Dept, Corstens Countdown, and Future Sounds of Egypt.

Never ran into a situation yet where someone was calling me and I couldn't hear them cause I had my headphones on

 
oowij:
Banker88:
Live house music sets (edmtunesTV on Soundcloud) with both in-ear headphones. People will email or come up to your desk if they actually need your attention and you avoid useless phone calls.

Sounds like me. ASOT and TATW all week long with the occasional International Dept, Corstens Countdown, and Future Sounds of Egypt.

Never ran into a situation yet where someone was calling me and I couldn't hear them cause I had my headphones on

+1. What is TATW though?

Tiesto Club Life, Morgan Page In the Air, and Thomas Gold's Fanfare are also clutch. Plus the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mixes (Kaskade and Alesso are both great). If people are interested, check out some of these sets:

http://soundcloud.com/kaskade/kaskades-bbc-radio-1-essential http://soundcloud.com/alesso/essential-mix http://soundcloud.com/alesso/alesso-electric-daisy-carnival http://soundcloud.com/edmtunestv/avicii-live-electric-daisy-carnival-ne… http://soundcloud.com/morganpage/morgan-page-in-the-air-31

 
Banker88][quote=oowij:
Banker88:
Live house music sets (edmtunesTV on Soundcloud) with both in-ear headphones. People will email or come up to your desk if they actually need your attention and you avoid useless phone calls.

Sounds like me. ASOT and TATW all week long with the occasional International Dept, Corstens Countdown, and Future Sounds of Egypt.

Never ran into a situation yet where someone was calling me and I couldn't hear them cause I had my headphones on

+1. What is TATW though?

Tiesto Club Life, Morgan Page In the Air, and Thomas Gold's Fanfare are also clutch. Plus the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mixes (Kaskade and Alesso are both great). If people are interested, check out some of these sets:

http://soundcloud.com/kaskade/kaskades-bbc-radio-1-essential http://soundcloud.com/alesso/essential-mix http://soundcloud.com/alesso/alesso-electric-daisy-carnival http://soundcloud.com/edmtunestv/avicii-live-electric-daisy-carnival-ne… http://soundcloud.com/morganpage/morgan-page-in-the-air-31[/quote]

TATW is Trance Around The World by Above&Beyond, its amazing. You should give it a listen!

 
Best Response
oowij][quote=Banker88][quote=oowij:
Banker88:
Live house music sets (edmtunesTV on Soundcloud) with both in-ear headphones. People will email or come up to your desk if they actually need your attention and you avoid useless phone calls.

Sounds like me. ASOT and TATW all week long with the occasional International Dept, Corstens Countdown, and Future Sounds of Egypt.

Never ran into a situation yet where someone was calling me and I couldn't hear them cause I had my headphones on

+1. What is TATW though?

Tiesto Club Life, Morgan Page In the Air, and Thomas Gold's Fanfare are also clutch. Plus the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mixes (Kaskade and Alesso are both great). If people are interested, check out some of these sets:

http://soundcloud.com/kaskade/kaskades-bbc-radio-1-essential http://soundcloud.com/alesso/essential-mix http://soundcloud.com/alesso/alesso-electric-daisy-carnival http://soundcloud.com/edmtunestv/avicii-live-electric-daisy-carnival-ne… http://soundcloud.com/morganpage/morgan-page-in-the-air-31[/quote]

TATW is Trance Around The World by Above&Beyond, its amazing. You should give it a listen![/quote]

Buddy of mine at BAML told me some dude there sends out his favorite playlists on Soundcloud to the entire junior banker listserv every Friday as it's the only streaming site that isn't blocked there I guess. Sad / funny part is that some dick in sponsors / m&a or some shit who was left off (likely cause he / she was a friendless loser) spilled the beans about this email thread on their firm wide goodbye email blast, alerted IT / compliance, got shut down. Fucker.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 
Going Concern:
ucmaroon47:
Steely Dan and Talking Heads all day at work

whenever i'm listenin to them i kind of feel like a bodhisattva because i realize that this must be the place of awesomeness

hahaha... This Must Be the Place

And so it goes
 
Going Concern:
ucmaroon47:
Steely Dan and Talking Heads all day at work

whenever i'm listenin to them i kind of feel like a bodhisattva because i realize that this must be the place of awesomeness

hahaha... This Must Be the Place

And so it goes
 

When I was in banking, general rule was if all or most of the senior guys were physically in the office, I'd keep them out (headphones). Other than that, just had them in when I felt like. Most of the time however, I kept them out as it was more distracting than helpful; except when we'd have to bind books late when the printers would go home.

I used to be a fanatic guitar player as well in high school / college. I got to a point where I could listen to almost any guitar lick / riff / solo / whatever and play it back verbatim. Now I doubt I could even get through Dust in the Wind without f'ing up. Kinda sad.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 
Stringer Bell:
When I was in banking, general rule was if all or most of the senior guys were physically in the office, I'd keep them out (headphones). Other than that, just had them in when I felt like. Most of the time however, I kept them out as it was more distracting than helpful; except when we'd have to bind books late when the printers would go home.

I used to be a fanatic guitar player as well in high school / college. I got to a point where I could listen to almost any guitar lick / riff / solo / whatever and play it back verbatim. Now I doubt I could even get through Dust in the Wind without f'ing up. Kinda sad.

It's a very sad thing. I feel my guitar chops slipping away myself...

Metal. Music. Life. www.headofmetal.com
 

just hit the desk and i've been rocking both earbuds a lot the last few weeks - hope it's not hurting peoples' perception of me - doubt it is because it seems as though everyone's doing it.

 

guitar practice goes waaaaaaaaaaaaay down whenever I get busy with school/work. fortunately, whenever I pick up the guitar, I'm able to play every song I've been able to play, some of them being pretty hard. only bad thing is I only remember how to play a couple of songs by memory now, forgot the rest :(

If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough. "There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.
 

Pandora or music on my phone with two headphones. At my old job, people would listen to music and I never knew how they would concentrate with music in the background, now I'm in banking and I always have to "plug-in" to completely focus from distractions. Strange how that happened.

I can see my phone light up if someones calls and usually catch someone walking up to my desk in my peripheral vision. I don't see it as being rude or antisocial if you unplug when someone walks up to your desk or calls, but that may be a product of the job/firm culture.

 

As a CPA working in Public Accounting during my my former life, I worked with alot of socially awkward people. So instead of wearing headphones while in the closet office at a client Id play my music lightly. Long story short, my new bi@tch of a women manger is in our closet for a day, and comments that she doesnt like music no matter whats playing or what volume. She then proceeds to katty chat with her friend about why shes 34, single, cant hold a man, and is drying up faster then a midwestern summer drought.

Essential Mix, Massive Attack

"Their analysts, they don't know preferred stock from live stock, alright."
 

Feel free to pm me – currently working in IB and DJ / learning to produce on the weekends. Not the easiest thing to balance and admittedly have lost in touch with a ton of people since I spend my weekends focused on music, but you can make it happen if you truly want to. Even listening to a ton of music (songs and various sets) during the work day helps me build out my sound, provide inspirations for my own music, and prepare for future gigs, etc, so even though I am working IB during the day, I’m also simultaneously “working” music as well.

 

I get more out of my time making music when I'm busy with other things. Its like my mind is already warmed up from life and I can focus much better when I pick up my instrument. There's more urgency.

To famejranc, work the internet and the algos. Also, make sure sure you're sending out your music to the right people. Try and make friends in the local scene.

 

Aliquid totam voluptas consequatur. Voluptas doloribus sit corporis quis sunt. Doloribus soluta iste velit mollitia. Occaecati labore dolorum quasi optio. Consequatur consequatur id quia temporibus expedita est dolorem. Atque illo molestiae vitae sapiente iste eveniet numquam nihil. Reprehenderit sed quisquam omnis cumque.

Reiciendis aut qui rerum nobis. Ullam fugiat eos rerum molestiae ullam nulla. Quod vel nihil iure dolorum voluptatem aspernatur sunt.

Quia veniam similique sed est adipisci ut. Et corrupti et ducimus minus.

 

Excepturi rem quo soluta earum reprehenderit voluptas. Libero itaque facere doloribus voluptate consectetur voluptas facere. Reiciendis fuga aspernatur iusto sit. Ut ipsa amet eligendi delectus qui. Dolorem sint eum qui ex corrupti enim omnis velit. Quis rem consequatur exercitationem velit amet unde est. Aspernatur laboriosam qui fugiat necessitatibus.

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

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • 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

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • 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...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”