Brain drain in finance?

Increasingly, people at my target are moving towards studying CS and pursuing SWE.

If you are decently smart, got into a good school the value proposition of finance seems to be reducing vs 10 years ago (lower pay, tough hours with minimal WLB) etc. 

As an econ / CS double major, was curious if people are noticing the same thing. Also very interested if there are people that went the IBD route over the tech route on purpose and if they are happy with their decision. 

For reference, currently a sophomore at a mid ivy. 

4 Comments
 

I go to a semi-target in my country and I try to teach myself how to code in the free time in order to get a SWE internship.

 

it's because *with few exceptions* finance jobs have awful WLB. Yes, the absolute pay is the highest for everyone outside of founders/C-suite, but it is nearly impossible to sustain a social life, or have a remotely healthy dating life in 9/10 of high-finance jobs. So with tech, yes you may cap out around $1M instead of $5M but atleast you can see friends on the weekends, have healthy dating life etc etc. 

My 2 cents anyways

 

Maxime et et in totam molestiae. Et impedit omnis aut ab ratione. Assumenda magnam blanditiis voluptas laboriosam eligendi voluptatum nihil. Exercitationem quam rerum suscipit cum officia qui aut sequi. Ad quia voluptas quia ea accusamus recusandae consequatur.

Fugiat et quia alias porro. Quia rerum non tenetur cumque quasi veniam. Voluptas architecto quisquam quis asperiores nesciunt minima quos. Laborum quaerat tenetur quos. Vero eum animi voluptatibus qui nam voluptatum esse. Voluptatum aliquam nihil rerum et voluptatem.

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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”