Reading this piece got me thinking.
The implication in the comments seemed to be that investment banking was a means to an end, is this true?
Do you feel miserable working in Investment Banking? Do you monkeys appreciate/enjoy the grind, or do you do it solely for the gains? If you could change careers, would you?
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I went into ib with intentions to become a senior banker. After my summer I can say that I have solidified my interest in doing this and am looking forward to a career in ib. A lot of people, including those at my firm, asked why I liked the job so much and I always give the same answer: the bigger picture. Most analysts and interns get super caught up in the details and forget to look at see how cool some of the deals or situations are that the firm is advising on. And being in a generalist role this past summer, it was awesome to have the exposure to healthcare, chemicals, tech etc all at the same time. Learning what really drives a business and helping come up with solutions to potential issues can be very fulfilling. To me at least. I also see myself as excellent in cultivating professional relationships - something I've practiced with people I've networked with and with those I got to sit in with at meetings - an essential skill needed of senior bankers. Of course, as a summer intern I may be getting ahead of myself but as of now, investment banking is where I see myself for the next x number of years.
Congrats on finding fulfillment in the industry! I love your perspective of looking at the bigger picture, I hope if I find myself in a similar situation I can hold the same attitude.
One thing Stephen said in his post (the one I linked above) is that "in those rare moments you do get out your tie to go talk to a client, you're not having a nice interesting chat with an interesting person, you talking finance to some other depressed office drone in some corporate office, who either pretends to give a shit or, more often than not, doesn't pretend."
You mention cultivating professional relationships, do you find the same lifeless attitude that Stephen mentioned among clients/coworkers?
That story is probably the most bleak account of banking I've ever heard. Honestly I probably also got really lucky with my culture. The hours are definitely on the longer side of the spectrum and I worked most weekends but my entire team was bro as fuck so even though we're cranking through the work - we're still having a good time shooting the shit in the bullpen, grabbing drinks, or even picking up lunch at a Pret or something.
I've met a few clients in meetings and can't say they struck me as "depressed corporate drones". Maybe that's how it is in the UK. I'm in the middle market and work on 200m-1bn deals so maybe mid market management is a whole lot more pleasant. Not sure. Either way meeting clients and sitting in on meetings is one of my favorite things. There is certainly talk of strategy and rationale - not lifeless financial garb. It's also fascinating hearing the MD smooth talk the client and become well acquainted by the end of the conversation. But hey like I said, I've only completed my summer so we'll see what happens full time.
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