Banker Bags are Paradise

After multiple rejections from BBs and MM banks, you finally land that internship you've been dreaming about. Ever since you heard what investment banking was. Those countless hours of technicals memorizing, not understanding, finally paid off. Your repetitive threads on WSO: "Help: interveiw at XYZ Co. What should i expect?" landed you a gig.

What's next: network with groups for placement day? How about post on LinkedIn about your offer? Nope. Gotta search on WSO "XYZ Co's perks". You don't really care about 401k matching or vacation days, since you're only an intern. You just want to find out what swag they give out. Specifically, do they give out the most prestigious form of swag: banker bags. You see conflicting things on WSO and get worried they won't aend them out. You check on eBay to see if any PE associates listed their old bags, but no luck. How about patagucci's you wonder? You find a business insider article explaining that patagonia is doesn't want to be connected to Wall Street. At this point, it's irrelevant because the banker bag holds more prestige.

A couple months before you start, you get a package in the mail. After ruffling through the box, you toss the sweatshirt, pen, and notepad to the side, and hold up the banker bag as if it's Simba.On your first day, even though a notebook and pen can be carried in your hand, you put them in your bag. You're on the subway and can't believe how many people notice yoir banker bag and want to ask you if you're related to Jamie Dimon. So prestigious!

A couple nights a week, you see banker bags around the city and make efforts to try and see what bank it is. "What is first name first name & first name company", you ask. After immediately googling it, you realize it's a law firm. Psh, that should be illegal. They aren't bankers, you exclaim internally.

After a couple months, you return to school for senior year and carry your banker bag everywhere: class, gym, and dining hall, even if it's empty. All those liberal arts and science majors get on their knees and let you cut them to get some mediocre dining hall food.

While walking through XYZ School of Business, you KNOW since they're all business majors they know the prestige behind banker bags.You return full time and see next year's interns carrying banker bags to work and think: "Wow, they look like idiots. I provably didn't look like that", although you still use your bag exclusively for equinox so people know where you work.

After two years sweating, you move to a large PE shop and receive a banker bag from them. At this point, banker bags don't mean much to you and are used as a travel bag when you're on the LIRR heading to the hamptons.

Everyday when walking to work, you see 21 year olds carrying their banker bags proudly on their shoulders and you feel obligated to tell them no one cares, but you hold off. You just think bag to how you felt on that day you pulled it out of the box.

Banker bags are paradise.

5 Comments
 

Ea odit rerum sed est autem sunt corrupti. Earum quia dolores consequatur sint est delectus sint repudiandae. Architecto quasi nam nobis a ad omnis enim.

Laboriosam qui et velit et laboriosam. Non et et ipsa corporis omnis voluptates qui neque. Incidunt deserunt saepe qui quis et aliquid quo. Harum est similique totam ducimus laboriosam doloribus quia. Occaecati quisquam et fuga suscipit recusandae.

Porro architecto autem quo omnis unde enim. Incidunt alias enim libero aut nam enim iste.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 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

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...”