How is working 50/60 hours a week considered relaxed?
Honest question here, but how is working 50/60 hours a week considered relaxed on this forum? Pretty sure if you’re not working weekends that’s working 9am - 8pm or 9am - 9pm. This basically leaves no time to do anything except go to the gym watch a show, sleep and that’s about it. I’ve visited a few european countries where leaving at 2:00 on Friday’s is the norm and some people even leave earlier than 5 almost everyday (ofcourse they don’t work in finance). Yes relative to other high finance jobs 50/60 hours is ok but outside of the WSO bubble it’s shit. Honestly a role with real WLB would be working a 9-5 and 35 days of paid leave (at least this is what my opinion is) but working 60 hours a week is definitely far from having a good balance in the grand scheme of things.
It's all relative. Most of the people on this forum started their career working weekdays until 1am+ and having 0-1 days off on the weekends, so that daily gym sesh, show, and 8 hours of sleep become a godsent luxury when they look at where they started.
To your point.... yes, it is ludicrous, but there are lines and lines of people trying to get into this field still and so the demand supports the shitty WLB. People in the industry either adjust their perspective on what is acceptable WLB, or they work towards an exit to a better life
Also if you are not a natural at hustling, it’s not a good industry to be in. Most my mentors/friends who made it long enough to work “only” 55-60 hours, sleep like 4-6 hours a day naturally. Oh, and get deeper meaning from work than basket weaving or running like a maniac on a treadmill or wining and dining etc etc
lol yeah when you take a step back and look at it it's pretty ridiculous, but getting to hit the gym, throw a show on and sleep 8 hours on a consistent basis would be paradise for me.
OP here Do you still think it’s worth it? I joined the buyside directly and clock in around 50 hours a week but tbh don’t feel like I have an amazing WLB (or maybe I’m just lazy lol). Outside of work I don’t have any real friends who work in high finance so most people think my hours are pretty bad. Even paywise I don’t think it’s really justified, have a few friends who work as product managers or even work in the finance team at FAANG and they work standard hours and make decent comp. After 10/15 years they’ll probably be on 200k+ anyways but with half the stress and effort.
It's part of adjusting after graduating, imo. When I graduated, even my friends in the chillest 9-5 thought their WLB was awful and they didn't have time to do anything. It's SO relative. Especially coming from college when your time is really your own, I'd give it a year or two and you will settle in.
Also - just a hard reality that few if any firms are going to give you 35 days of PTO, maybe in Europe but that is not a perfect place either (much lower salaries, for one)... again, just part of transitioning from having a million free days in college to having work be a big part of your life. Try and plan 1 or 2 fun trips a year and weekend trips to maximize the time.
Also your FAANG friends will max out at a much lower number and your comp will scale significantly more, especially with carry. Hard to compare year 1 comp or even year 5 comp when the career comp is so different
I think about this a lot, I always come back to that right now, at 26 it's worth it. Especially bc I don't think I could find any other job outside of finance that will pay me 300k+ at this age since I'm not some genius technical guy with some specialized skillset, and at it's core I fundamentally enjoy the job and its learning experiences, challenges and the fact that I'm never really bored, and I recognize the experience and responsibility I have is pretty unmatched in other jobs I can get. I'm in the same boat where all of my friends think I'm insane for working so much so I feel you on that, their seemingly less stressful day to day lives, going to happy hours, getting 9 holes in after work, etc. does suck to see when im eating chipotle at my desk at 9pm and it makes me question why I am doing this, had to cancel plans for the fourth for work and it really bums me out.
I just try to maintain a delayed gratification mindset and think long term, I stay pretty frugal so the cash comp I can make and sock away in my 20's and the compounding of that will give me a pretty significant net worth by the time I hit 30, likely multiples of my friends in those 9-5's (even the ones who will be at 200k in 10 years), I don't compare myself to them at all but it does help me rationalize that what I'm doing is in fact worth it. And the early career experience and reps should hopefully pay off to where I should find something more chill with a decently high comp floor for once I have a family and all that. For me it's more about setting myself up for way down the line because who knows what the future has in store, and I would rather have the stress and exhaustion right now than in 15 years when I have a mortgage and 3 other mouths to feed and raise. At the same time I totally get the rationale of enjoying your 20's while you can, but my gut tells me that I'd regret leaving too early, I worked years to get in this position for a reason. When is "too early"? don't know for sure but I know that for me right now it is.
You don't have to be lazy to not enjoy work. Maybe you're not cut out for it - the best part is, that's ok. Go find something else that makes you happy!
I work 50-55 hours and it feels great because the bank I started at was quite sweaty. The worst nights you were just working around the clock. At best it was how my hours are now. It’s pretty hard to beat my current seat and I never take it for granted.
I work from home and consistently work from 7 AM to 7/8 PM. Hitting the gym at 5:30 AM is the only time I can lift because I train for my triathlon in the evening. Having my weekends protected makes those two days even more luxurious because I can leisurely go to the gym instead of rushing, or watch TV at a relaxed pace. Balancing all of this while working in private equity? To me, I’m living the life compared to those in banking cranking out 70+ hour weeks.
[edited] Are there PE funds allowing to work entirely remotely? Is your salary a good one? just curious because haven't heard of remote PE roles
My pay is similar to investment banking—the difference is only apparent through the bonus. However, this is offset by benefits like no weekend work and a better work-life balance. I don't think there are many private equity funds out there doing what mine does. It's challenging enough to find a firm that will even consider taking in an analyst. I still think I got super lucky with this role
I’m living OP’s paradise+. I actually average a bit fewer hours than what you have and get slightly more paid time off (including holidays) while making ~$400k + additional equity upside. Feels good kids. Obviously not in banking anymore after grinding my ass off for years.
Care to share the path you took post banking?
Start up of some sort?
Just started as a summer analyst and truthfully was shocked by how much I took time for granted during the school year. You don't realize working10 hours daily with some weekend work leaves you no time until you actually start working and can barely shower or sleep. still dont understand why this is normalized
I worked 100hours a week as a resident and actually had to put in physical and mental effort. Finance is a fucking breeze
HAHAHA from one ER to another ER. Good point though, many of my Med sci friends have the same life…
Est eos doloribus quas quia sit culpa. Nulla fuga eius libero ad ad amet ipsum. Quia nostrum quod excepturi magni. Exercitationem tempora magnam sint molestiae. Incidunt asperiores tempore aliquid non.
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...
Deserunt et voluptas mollitia minus eligendi ullam sed. Saepe nihil velit ducimus libero voluptatem ea. Impedit ut pariatur et asperiores inventore. Dolor vero blanditiis delectus expedita velit esse.
Praesentium qui consequuntur est. Quo maxime maiores nulla praesentium. Sint qui voluptatem quis iste sit odio. Consequatur et maxime est consequuntur. Commodi exercitationem aliquam est nulla quo. Aut qui harum rerum omnis omnis nihil rerum. Error nihil soluta est eligendi sint et architecto.