I don't want to be a wage cuck for the rest of my life. Is IB the right choice for me?

Hey gang. I'm trying to follow in the footsteps of Todd Howard at Bethesda.

I wish to work really hard for 10-20 years into my 40s and retire with a few million in my bank account paying dividends. I want to suffer now so I can relax later. Is IB and the exit opportunities right for me?

12 Comments
 

Yes. But believe me when I tell you that once you are actually in the suffering years, it becomes really hard to stick to it for a lot of people. It's hard to think long-term when you are getting shafted every week day in and day out, and all you can think about are your friends chilling in tech or corporate finance, living much happier lives in their prime years while you are slaving away at 2am on a retarded iteration of a deck that provides no actual change to the analysis. Even when you move up the ladder to a more senior role, the bullshit just changes. 

 
Most Helpful

I actually think finance/IB is the best option to not be a wage cuck long-term. Any other high-paying job is generally tied to being salaried or being part of a company long-term - law, medicine, tech, etc. Not to mention that anything corporate will sink you in stock options as part of your all-in comp to anchor you down. And consider the opportunity cost involved in what usually requires more schooling to even break into these industries (law/medicine) where starting salary is actually very sub-market.

It's important to recognize that the more wealth you accumulate early on - the more you have to start developing passive income via investing - and thus taking on any debt via additional schooling is counterintuitive

With finance, I think it's also about learning general principles (valuation, how a company operates, etc - similar stuff to what they tout in consulting) that enables you to perhaps do something entrepreneurial even beyond being a PE/VC investor (perhaps running your own business one day)  

 

This post reeks of future "1-year analyst quitting IB" energy. 

To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.
 

Start a business. Grow it. Sell it. If you’re ever an employee tough to not be working most of your life even in IB. How do you think your MDs are paying for private school for 3 kids, college for them, that fat house, their wife’s spending habits. Life ain’t cheap. Also personally I wouldn’t want to retire that early. I would get bored so quickly. There’s only so much golf you can play. Plus majority of your friends will be working anyways so not like there’s many people to do stuff with because they’ll all working

 

Yes because most people start their business in the late 20s and early 30s once they have accumulated wealth and experience. Nothing can prepare you for owning a business but it is a good way to prepare for suffering long hours and being able to socialize with various personalities. 

 

Dolor quam quaerat non et quidem unde. Rerum sunt sunt consectetur error.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”