Leaving early - am I screwed?

Left after 6 months at top-BB firm (think GS,MS,ML,JPM). Couldn't handle the hours (110+ every week and no days off during weekends). I really enjoyed the work and performed very well but couldn't physically handle the sleep depreviation and went back to my previous position as an Associate at an in-house M&A team of a +50 bn $ corporate. Have total 2 years experience at in-house M&A and plan to do at least another year + 6 months experience at BB. My question is as follows; Am I screwed going for a PE-,HF- or an Associate/3rd year analyst position at a "more relaxed" bank/team? Is quitting early something that would severely damage my future options?

3 Comments
 

Just to clarify - 2 years at an European Large-cap corporate development/M&A team. But how do I spin it? Truth was the terrible hours, as I mentioned (110+) but I'm certain I could handle a 80-90 hour week which seems more common at some of the other banks...but it is hard to use the hours as an excuse for quitting - if I would apply for a 3rd year or Associate position at another bank I guess that would lead to a definite ding...How would you play it?

 

Dolore qui expedita sint voluptas saepe odit. Distinctio aspernatur sunt est et omnis repellendus facilis. Amet commodi velit consequatur rerum. Dolorem sunt quia eos deserunt similique dolorum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”