IBD graduates now on the buyside, are you truly happier (less miserable) than you were in IBD?

As a follow up to a post I made last week... I've started to get disillusioned with the ibd to buyside track, after questioning whether I really want to get promoted and continue living the life.

For those of you that have continued on the track and made it further down the road, did you truly become happier as you did? Is it easy to preserve your personal relationships at this point? Are you less-stressed? Do you think about leaving?

6,219 WSO Academy Investment Banking Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Pepperdine Graziadio Business School

Class of '26 Nov 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Short Resume Review / Recap

“My resume review experience with Julian Gropp was exceptional. Even before our session, he carefully reviewed both versions of my resume and provided detailed, personalized feedback. He identified two major areas for improvement: positioning my unique healthcare background as a competitive advantage and quantifying my accomplishments with measurable results. What impressed me most was his attention to detail. He asked 13 thoughtful questions to understand my education, career transition, financial projects, internships, and technical skills before rewriting my resumes. He then created two targeted versions—one for Investment Banking and another for Corporate Finance—while ensuring every accomplishment was accurate and defensible during interviews. One piece of advice that truly stayed with me was, "Lead with finance. Healthcare is your edge, but it does not define you." This completely changed how I think about presenting my professional background. He also helped me identify my strongest experiences, improve my financial project descriptions, and recognize the importance of building a healthcare-focused financial model to demonstrate technical competency. Julian went beyond simply editing my resume. He helped me understand how recruiters evaluate candidates, how to communicate a nontraditional career transition confidently, and how to develop a stronger professional narrative. His guidance was honest, practical, encouraging, and tailored to my goals. I genuinely appreciate the time and effort he invested in helping me become a more competitive finance candidate.”

Class of '27 Jul 2026 Cohort

4.56/5

Investment Banking Mock Interview

“Very comprehensive session. We worked through a paper LBO and I got useful tips on how to build the debt schedule. Mentor's camera didn’t work because of a technical issue, but that didn’t affect the quality of the session at all, and I felt I advanced a lot. It was straight to the point: she moved from question to question without wasting any time, and finished with direct feedback. The follow-up note was clear and specific, with two priorities (IB vs PE and the LBO walk) and a plan for the next session. Honestly one of the best sessions I’ve had.”

See All 11,483 WSO Academy Reviews

2 Comments

packmate

HF

10y

bump

Reply

Quote

Report

Other

Authored by: Certified Hedge Fund Professional - 3rd+ Year AnalystCertified Hedge Fund Pro

bankingptsd

PE

10y

Est itaque aut soluta velit dicta modi at. Sit consectetur atque cumque ea sunt. Maxime sint ut numquam aut sit. Quibusdam a eum voluptatem pariatur. Animi consequatur provident tempore voluptate.

Enim et assumenda eveniet ut architecto maiores. Incidunt sequi fugit assumenda saepe voluptas nihil officiis aperiam. Sit consequatur quas minima officia voluptatem et quam. Quo eaque dolorum aut provident.

Odio esse fugit voluptas aut aut voluptatum et. Quaerat dolorem quis dignissimos omnis quia voluptatum.

Ratione eos saepe dolorem velit aperiam magni. Nam quia rerum libero. Libero sit sint labore atque explicabo. Molestiae nam rerum sint placeat aliquam.

Reply

Quote

Report

Other

+162	Analyst: Why is UBS IB doing worse than peers?, UBS CFO: No Comment	29	11h
+160	UBS Tech layoff	52	2d
+146	UBS’s M&A BANKERS ARE DOING TERRIBLY. $200M EXTRA IS BEING CUT	31	1d
+119	Leaked Interview Questions to Recruiting Services	55	7h
+64	How do YOU manage networking requests?	20	7h
+60	Are target prospects getting dumber?	27	1d
+34	MBB Pay Raises	26	2d
+21	Earliest you can get fired	7	7h
+20	Career Crossroads	3	12h
+20	US 2027 SA IB worried about background check	5	9h

1	redever	99.2
2	kanon	99.0
3	BankonBanking	99.0
4	Secyh62	99.0
5	CompBanker	98.9
6	DrApeman	98.9
7	dosk17	98.9
8	Betsy Massar	98.9
9	GameTheory	98.9
10	Kenny_Powers_CFA	98.8

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

IBD graduates now on the buyside, are you truly happier (less miserable) than you were in IBD?

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

IBD graduates now on the buyside, are you truly happier (less miserable) than you were in IBD?

See All Comments - 100% Free

Trending Content - Investment Banking Forum