How can anyone have a balanced life with a career in finance?
I’m an undergraduate student in Europe in a (I hope it is) target school (Bocconi).
I have a good CV one experience in corporate banking in a boutique first year and an upcoming internship in a Big4, and an excellent GPA and academic transcript.
Lots of my friends say that they would want to be in my position since they believe I can apply and get wherever I want to (I hope that’s true, even if I doubt it a little bit).
However, I think I may lack the will to do it.
If on the one hand I really like finance and working in IBD, closing deals and maybe living the “American dream” coming from a small town in Italy is something I always have dreamed of, on the other hand I don’t know if working 70+ hrs a week, sacrificing all of my hobbies, leaving “behind” my parents, friends and girlfriend can really bring me to “be successful (which IMO= “be happy with your career”).
My question is: Am I missing something? Why does one (good) student have to sacrifice one of the two aspect of its life? Isn’t there a career path that can guarantee a mixed of both?
Did anyone pass through all of this and how did you solve it?
There are many career paths where you can make a good living and don’t have to sacrifice any of those things you mention. “High” finance (IB, PE, HF, etc.) is not one of them. These careers optimize for income and elitism. They are not optimized for WLB. That doesn’t mean you have to give up everything you love, but it means you will spend a lot less time and energy doing things that aren’t pertinent to your job. Frankly, you can’t “have it all” unless you are incredibly lucky (ex: born into a family with a ton of money). You have to pick what’s most important to you and optimize for that if you want the best results in that area. Or, you can lead a more balanced life and choose a different career (software development, marketing, etc.)
"High finance" would have you believe that all finance roles that pay well are long hours. You can work in corp dev or RE and work 40–60 hour weeks and make very good money. That's why many people, myself included, go into those roles. It is still the 6-figure compensation (in America at least), but with half of the hours as IB/HF/PE so you get to have hobbies and family time at the end of the day. If you prioritize WLB, then pursue RE/Corp Dev and have some investing role instead of IB/PE/HF that will pay more but require much longer hours.
Second this, a lot of interesting roles out there that pay well and let you keep your hobbies and your weekends
Can you share your past experience and how did you got into CorpDev? What is the usual career path? Can I Move ti CorpDev at “”senior”” psoitions after a few years in IBD?
The "typical" path is IBD for 1-2 years as an analyst and then move to Corp Dev as a "senior analyst" or "associate" role and move up from there. I am aware of people who get associate promotion in IBD and then lateral to Corp Dev as a manager level, but rarely any higher than that in my own experience.
My career path started in RE at a commercial brokerage doing the underwriting for institutional real estate investors on the sell-side. I got poached from the brokerage by one of our clients and went to a small REPE shop for a few years doing a wide variety of asset classes. I then moved on to a larger REPE firm with ~$3B AUM at the time (larger now, but don't want to give away any names), and was there for a number of years. I then decided to pursue traditional PE for the compensation as I started thinking about having a family and the money that requires to raise one. I stayed in PE for the bulk of my career, before realizing that the money wasn't worth losing all my free time when I wanted to see my family and friends way more often and enjoy things like more vacations and being off work at a relatively early hour. I then made the switch to a VP/director level in Corp Dev and have been at the same company ever since. I make very good money and work 8-4 everyday with minimal/no weekend work.
I work corporate banking and work 30-50 hours a week
You say that you enjoy working in IBD, but you dont have any IBD experience?
Hi! Yeah that was an error, I meant more smth like “I like the idea of working into IB”
Makes sense, I completely agree with your thoughts. I am in the same position, still trying to figure out what I want to prioritize. It’s all a big trade-off at the end.
Despite what some poeple may think on this forum, finance is not just M&A or PE although they can be really rewarding paths.
I have friends in Sales & Trading who have a good work life balance and salaries on par with IBD. Same for Asset Management but lower pay.
Not everyone can digest M&A hours and put up with a high-stress, very hierarchical environment - that's fine. There are valid alternatives in finance out there.
My advice is to try different things or talk to people in different industries to get more insights.
Maiores ea ea ad quia officiis impedit nisi repellat. Consequatur voluptatem voluptatem maiores consectetur totam quia. Qui asperiores quia maxime nemo. Commodi maiores et omnis ut veniam accusamus repudiandae.
Illo nihil qui enim. Provident deleniti perferendis voluptatem placeat hic. Quidem enim ut sint voluptas ea facilis. Magni eius odio debitis voluptas eum. Temporibus perspiciatis impedit autem tempore. Autem est voluptas officiis distinctio.
Laboriosam ullam adipisci doloremque totam. Quos debitis quis et asperiores dicta.
Voluptas mollitia voluptatem et exercitationem quo rem impedit. Omnis expedita tempora reprehenderit. Vel ut autem aperiam distinctio et qui. Ut doloribus perferendis veritatis praesentium sequi maiores aut.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...