Left after two years. Stupid career, and for those who don't want to become an MD or go to PE, RUN the other way.
College kids commit way too early to this career without knowing what they're actually getting into.
| +70 | Any tips for sleeping well? | 36 | 22h |
| +56 | Wealthy Parents / Jaded | 18 | 9h |
| +44 | Venezuela Debt Restructuring - LAZ vs CVP | 16 | 6h |
| +40 | Background check issue IB Full Time | 22 | 12h |
| +38 | How are hours rn for SA (interns) | 23 | 1h |
| +27 | Investment Banking in Mexico | 7 | 9h |
| +26 | HL vs WB | 19 | 1d |
| +24 | MM bottom bucket bonus | 9 | 1d |
| +23 | UBS GIG, LevFin, FSG Interns working Sundays and 85 hour weeks their first week? | 11 | 1d |
| +21 | Excel macros for QOL formatting | 0 | 1d |
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Hear, hear. Doing a summer or two is beneficial, but signing it FT isn’t. So many options that help you learn a lot and protect your mental health.
100%
Can you make some examples please?
McDonalds Regional Manager
Sure, I did BB IB Soph & PE/VC junior/a year FT. But you can apply for fellowships, leadership development/trainee/development programs, and learn the same skills with less pressure. Your early career recruiting value is highest when you’re a college senior. If you sign the FT offer and don’t like it, it’s so hard to pivot out.
The first 2 years post grad are hard af. It should be a setup where you work hard but it’s similar to college life - LCOL, walkable, around other normal young people, etc
Zero comparable alternatives
That's what blinds people to think it's so special, but one look at the actual work of a banking junior will illustrate my point.
So many alternatives, we’re going into the year of our lord 2026
Amen and peace to all men of good will.
I wanted to make a comfortable amount of money right out of undergrad. The only options were IB/PE, SWE, and Quant. I wasn't smart enough for SWE and Quant so IB was my only choice lol
You can make a “comfortable” amount of money in plenty of other careers
To live comfortably in NYC, you need like $180k+ these days. Those are the only 3 careers where you can make that much straight out of undergrad.
people place too much emphasis on prestige while recruiting imo, I've loved my time in the industry and sure there have been a couple of long nights but I honeslty can't complain about my current wlb to comp ratio
drop the weekly hours pls
eg 9am - 1am
trying to see something
What an insightful and novel take!
Like a vegan in a steakhouse
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