Are there some of you who do really well in IB? (Mentally, etc...)

Yeah, I fared pretty well/ better than 99% of analysts because I had a reason for doing the job and didn't hate the work, but no one really loves it. Here is why:

1) The job at virtually all levels requires an extreme amount of hours making work life balance undesirable at any level. Whereas some careers you eventually differentiate based on expertise and can work less, in banking the senior level is largely defined by hustling to bring in business or hustling to appeal to clients. This largely is a function of hours/ hustle. At the junior level, you can't really out think other analysts you mainly have to just complete deliverables that need to get done, which again requires a great deal of hours/ hustle. In order to like this job, you need to be comfortable eliminating hobbies and time with friends and family, which many people aren't.

2) The job has high stakes with large amounts of money on the client side which can bring out the worst in people. Additionally, because banks make such large fees many feel they must earn that fee and demand service worthy of that fee--i.e. getting called on weekends, going the extra mile etc. In order to like this job, you need to be comfortable with the client service aspect of the business where "the customer is always right". This is frustrating and something many people don't enjoy.

3) The high paying nature of the job draws in some mercurial personalities, which tend to not play well with others. Even excellent culture shops have a few landmines that make the industry tough to work in. At every level, there are assholes who are sharp elbowed and who make others around them unhappy. In order to like this job, you need to be comfortable working around people who don't treat others with respect/ who often times are very disrespectful.

The person who fares well is someone who really loves to be in the middle of transactions and who loves a specific industry, while also not being bothered by the client service nature of the job and extreme hours. Frankly, I think the sort of person that fits this profile is someone who is willing to sacrifice relationships with family, friends, and virtually all other aspects of life for the experience of doing deals and the action of being in the middle of things. Sadly, I think this eventually catches up to many individuals as at a point in their career they eventually desire to slow down i.e. retirement, and they realize they have sacrificed relationships for deal making and fees, which don't seem that important in the grand scheme of things. I think ultimately the way to be happy in this job is to recognize what you want from the job and determining your price for walking. Most people don't do this, if you do, you can be very happy.