(un)Popular Opinion - Having a Prestigious Job is more prestigious than being rich

Having a prestigious job (IBD VP+, Biglaw Partner+, MBB Principal+, PE Principal+, Politician (Senator/equivalent+), etc) is far, far more prestigious than being rich.

The implication that you have done prestigious activities and went to prestigious boarding schools to get into a prestigious undergrad and then done more prestigious activities to get a prestigious internship, then have prestigious work experience to get a MBA/JD then have the social skills and physical attributes to advance to a senior level in an ultracompetitive industry (needing to be tall, visually pleasing, well spoken with the right accents, have the right skin color, being athletic) are all very prestigious. Essentially, everything in your life (including genetics and the family you were born to) must have gone right.

On the other hand, any 15 year old with a 2.3 gpa could have gone all in on some shitcoin and become a decamillionaire. Or some greasy looking, overweight, balding blue collar guy could have started his own "small business" and rake in millions of revenue annually, or was old enough to leverage to the tits on real estate. It's the same reason why Zuckerberg, Bezos and Gates are not respected while Buffett and Ackman are. One group dropped out or completed a mere undergrad, and got lucky with a shitty tech startup, while the other attending prestigous undergrads, JD/MBAs and had the social skill to climb their way up in their respective industries.

Anyways, I just wanted to see how many others agree with me that being rich is not nearly as prestigious or respectable as having gone the traditional "ultra high finance" white collar route. 

6 Comments
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

Quae numquam eius quae quia. Architecto possimus minima repellat optio est voluptatem facilis. Nesciunt illum eius sunt quibusdam a nesciunt sint delectus. Ut consequatur nulla voluptatibus. Laboriosam sed nostrum aliquam et numquam fugiat. Vitae sequi unde iste eligendi eum maiores a.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”