15 years of your life for guaranteed prestige/money - worth it?

die 15 years earlier for guaranteed top (1million+) salary and top prestige (top schools, highest honors, firms like Goldman Sachs & KKR). who is willing to do it?

for me it would make my shorter life happier and better so i say yes

7 Comments
 
Best Response

I am convinced that the most valuable thing in life- besides that which defines our purpose here- is free time with friends and family, not money.

So no, I would not give up 15 years.

The sad thing, though, is that many folks on this forum are gearing up to do exactly that- only trade 15 years of their 20s and 30s for prestige rather than their 70s and 80s.

Firefighter- I'm not sure if you're a troll or not, but you seriously need to stop being obsessed with prestige. Prestige ranks #20 on the list of life's priorities for most healthy people. Give up prestige and pick up a fun sport like hang gliding, kitesurfing, ice climbing, or hiking. That way, you've got interesting stories to tell.

Ever remember the mystery movies? The old guy with the australian accent who went around with a campaign hat on and told stories about hunting tigers and crossing Antarctica was so much cooler than the retired banker who sipped scotch, rolled his eyes, and puffed on his pipe. When you hit 65, who would you rather be? I want to be Col. Mustard, in the study, with an old black powder rifle.

 

I wish I didn't read this but since I read it, I'm now wondering if given the choice... Would most people on this board prefer to be an employee who strictly pursues the ideal, prestige "track" or someone like Buffet, Kravis, or Fink, who became legends without the work history of "top prestige" (I realize Fink was in Blackstone but that was before it became really big)? The answer may seem obvious (the latter) but no one can deny that the former is more appealing in the short-run, for any young aspiring BSD.

 

Don't feed the trolls

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee WSO is not your personal search function.
 

Amet quia consequatur blanditiis sint quia laborum delectus et. Eaque incidunt tempore dolor adipisci.

Magnam nostrum et officia. Voluptatem architecto culpa maiores reprehenderit. Sed assumenda quo odit cupiditate id.

Rerum officiis aperiam odio. Porro delectus non earum est quia. Voluptatem velit qui saepe molestiae dolores quasi dolor.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
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...”