A lot of you could be more grateful

I understand the sentiment, and I think there are times are places for introspective reflection and gratefulness. But I also think that mostly everyone here is striving for the best, and that's why people act like this. Mediocrity/contentment is the enemy of success. We all need to keep ourselves motivated and always wanting more, but I agree we shouldn't lose sight of how far we have come and how lucky we are. Clearly, I sympathize with the "striving for more" mindset. I always looked at is as if I made it to the NBA. Like you said, that was the goal during childhood, and now I would make more money than anyone and my family would be set for life. Does that mean I just lose all motivation and suck and be a benchwarmer because I've achieved my lifelong goal? Or do I set this as my new baseline, and consistently strive for me - being unhappy when I don't get there? I guess it really depends on your personality, mindset, goals, motivations, etc. 

Cool story bro

What color is your bugatti?

>60% (at the very least) of IB analysts come from good to great money. If you are middle class or poor and able to break into IB, you will be astounded by how entitled everybody is.

del

Good post. While it’s great for people here to continue to be ambitious (after all it’s probably what got most of us here in the first place), it’s useful to reflect on the privilege of what this career has been able to provide. Yes, the hours and WLB are typically bad but we’re more than fairly compensated for it, particularly as you get past your first year or two as an analyst. By your late 20s/early 30s, you’ll likely have earned more than enough to provide you financial stability beyond what the vast majority of Americans would be able to achieve in their lifetimes

At this point in my early 30s, I’ve already bought a fairly decent home in a HCOL area, with enough liquid cash/investments excluding 401ks/retirement funds to already be able to in theory pay my mortgage off now (less than 5 years into it), something that would take most people 20-30 years to accomplish. While I’d say I’m doing well at my firm and on track, I have no fear of getting RIF’d or not being able to make the transition to MD. If I leave my role to go to the corporate side, yes I’d likely take a paycut, but I’d also be choosing among otherwise very high quality roles most people would love to eventually make it to later in their careers. 

In that context, it’s hard to complain about if my Bonus was “only” $200k vs $300k, when the lower bonus amount alone would be something most people would kill to earn as their annual salary. My family was upper middle class, but I went to public high school and had friends whose parents owned a chinese restaurant, and they slaved away working 7 days a week, probably 80+ hours a week, probably making a fraction of what I did when I was an associate

I went to top private schools in NYC on scholarship from a young age, and I've been in such a bubble / caught up in the prestige rankings (obsessing over which BB to choose, what group has the best PE exits, etc.) that I had to remind myself my parents make a fraction of my salary out of college. 

It's interesting that this didn't get MS'd to hell. Usually when I take about perspective or in particular Junior bankers and their lack of gratitude, it turns into a shit storm. 

Fully support OP's sentiment. The orestige chasers are usually the people you'd never want to know outside of work. And that's coming from someone who works and has worked in 'prestigous' banks and groups.

Many people here are entitled people that grew up in a wealthy/well-off family and got guided towards their Ivy-degree and career. Obviously they are like that.

You can observe that in any thread which is about target/non-target schools or similar.

Agreed. If you want to get a different perspective you should check out the r/UKJobs subreddit. It is for the UK, but certainly applies for many US states/cities and elsewhere. If you have a good job clearing six figures, take some time to appreciate it.

Not a bad post, and I don't disagree with it. I'd also propose a 1 month ban on anyone who uses the term "high finance." WTF does that even mean? I've been in this industry (even through my startup years while constantly raising VC/venture debt) for ~25 years. That term pisses me off. Even using that term alludes to the negatives you are posting about. 

I agree that entitlement is rampant, particularly with the current generation, not that it wasn't an issue in the past. It just seems so much more pronounced now. When I started my company I chose to hire exclusively people who were 30 plus to avoid that BS. As our company grew and needed to hire millennials/Gen Z to fill entry level roles, my life grew so much worse. People have become so soft, and their first response is I'm being treated unfairly - I will sue for discrimination. Some people are legitimately discriminated against, not cool, but not getting special benefits for yourself that can't scale to a company is absurd. That is what the current younger workforce tends to expect from my perspective. I could provide so many examples, but don't have time.

I'm a farm kid...I was taught to show up on time, get your work done and keep your mouth shut. That served me well through my early career. It works. All of the bitching and moaning is exhausting. Most senior decision makers are my age, and we really don't give a shit about coddling people. Sink or swim...regardless of where you start from. Appreciate your opportunities, but if you don't make it work, that's on you.

The rankings stuff is stupid. Just go get the best job you can and make it work from there. Come here to ask for advice. I started as a temp in credit trading Ops in a terrible economy. I made something from there. It would have been awesome to have a more straightforward path, but that wasn't an option. I chose to do the best job I could with the work in front of me. 

Edit: When I say coddling, that is very different than mentorship, which I truly enjoy. A good mentor will occasionally kick you in the teeth though when you need it. A person coddling someone just wants to make them feel warm and comfortable while not wanting to hear the complaints or fix the issue, which is usually on the employee. 

So alternate view but I am not grateful. At all. 

1) we work in finance, it’s basically a capitalist jungle of kill or be killed. You will never get more than 100% of what you ask for and being grateful is basically negotiating against yourself and inviting your counter party to take what’s rightfully yours. This manifests itself in your employer screwing you on compensation or promotions (while giving those rewards to your less deserving peers) or just getting taken to the cleaners in an M&A transaction as either the principal or the banker. 

2) for perspective, I came from a lower middle class immigrant background, went to an sec school and entered IB much later than most people. Frankly it’s a little bit of a miracle i was even able to break into IB. There is personal experience of having to fight tooth and nail for every tiny ounce of success and financial benefit. I don’t say that as a badge of honor, I would much preferred to have been born into a more affluent background with someone to guide me along the way instead of having to learn everything on my own aka the hard way. I’d certainly be much wealthier and further along in my career. Am I much more financially well off than the people I grew up with or my parents who sacrificed a ton for me? Yes. Does that mean I’m grateful for what I have considering I had to go through hell and back to get it, including lot of hard work that ultimately never paid off? No.

You’re spitting facts. A lot of people in this industry forget how good they have it. Yeah, it’s natural to want more—that’s what drives people in high finance in the first place—but acting like a “mid” IB job is some kind of failure is crazy. There are people out there struggling just to get by, while some dude on here is upset that he won’t exit to MF PE. Like, come on. Wanting better is fine, but at least have some perspective. You can be ambitious without being delusional.

High finance, especially investment banking, pays way above what most college grads ever see. Instead of obsessing over "prestige rankings," take a moment to appreciate that many people would trade places with you in a heartbeat

"Have you said thank you once?" type post

Absolutely. The constant focus on prestige can really cloud our perspective. Even if your job isn’t the top-ranked one, the financial and professional benefits you have are something many would trade places for