NYC
Is New York an overrated location for post grad? Disregarding career growth and opportunities, what makes NYC a more desirable place than Austin or Nashville? Why do people love NYC so much?
Trending Content - Investment Banking Forum
| +270 | Why UBS Is the Worst Place to Start Your IB Career | 42 | 2h |
| +220 | UBS 2nd Year Analyst Q&A (2026) | 41 | 1d |
| +137 | UBS IB 26Q2 a Disaster! Advisory Revenue Down 23%, Capital MarketsDown 5% | 19 | 5h |
| +105 | What's your craziest "hardo" story? | 18 | 18h |
| +93 | Downfall of Qatalyst | 21 | 16m |
| +81 | Lincoln International Return Offers | 26 | 2h |
| +57 | Wolf of Wall Street vs. Reality: Anyone else feel scammed by the movies? | 19 | 1d |
| +55 | Elite Boutique interview questions | 17 | 2d |
| +43 | so confused about 28 SA timeline | 30 | 1d |
| +34 | Rate my non-target resume | 19 | 21h |
Career Resources
Based on the highest ranked content on WSO, here's what you need to know about why people love NYC and what makes it desirable beyond career growth and opportunities:
Desirability of NYC:
Vibrant Lifestyle:
Prestige and Ambition:
Social Scene:
Comparison with Austin and Nashville:
Variety and Quality:
Energy and Ambition:
Criticisms and Challenges:
Cost of Living:
Quality of Life:
In summary, while NYC offers a vibrant lifestyle, cultural richness, and unparalleled social and professional opportunities, it comes with high costs and challenges that can make it less appealing over time.
Sources: Why would anyone willingly choose to live in NYC / SF / CHI?, Why would anyone willingly choose to live in NYC / SF / CHI?, Why You Should Leave NYC After Your Analyst Stint, Why You Should Leave NYC After Your Analyst Stint, NEW YORK is OVERRATED
I have a basketball analogy: If you’re a pro basketball player, there are a ton of great leagues to play in. The Euroleague is great, Chinese pro ball is prosperous, and countless other leagues exist. At the end of the day, however, everyone knows that the NBA is the biggest, brightest pro basketball league out there.
My theory is its walkability and it being more similar to European/Asian cities in terms of urban layout. For 95% of Americans the idea to walk a few minutes to a coffee shop or restaurant is completely novel until they visit NYC or take a trip to a major European city. There are some other US cities with walkable elements like Boston, Chicago, but they become very suburban, car-centric outside the core. While a lot of European cities do urban planning better than NYC, many Americans don't have the opportunity to work there either due to visa or language barrier, so they stick to NYC.
comparing NYC to Austin or Nashville is crazy lmao - Someone who lived in austin
Not comparing them per se, more so trying to understand why NYC is held in so much higher regard.
Job availability also factors in here. If you want to do IB, majority of the seats are in New York and you are going to struggle to do it in Austin or Nashville - there are jobs but they are much smaller firms, and they usually don't recruit people who don't have some sort of personal ties to the area. The big BBs/EBs do not run IB out of those cities. There's IB/PE in Houston, but it's oil and gas and not the most desirable city to live in.
Even PE, you can work at pretty much any MF in New York. In those cities you are again limited to a handful of firms and they are likely to be smaller. Nothing wrong with that, but someone aiming at top-tier IB/PE jobs just has the most options in NY.
Food scene is unmatched. Social scene is great if you’re into going out (most other US cities will not have bars/clubs popping on a weekday). Dating scene is a whole other beast, but I would say I still think it’s better than other cities due to how diversity/sheer number of individuals. Also it’s just a cultural hub with a lot going on and still houses most of the biggest finance jobs/companies.
Obviously it’s expensive as fuck, crowded, sometimes dirty/dangerous, but overall I’d take it over any T2/T3 city.
Can you elaborate on the dating scene
I've lived in Miami, San Francisco, and now New York. Nothing compares to living in NYC. Anything you can imagine doing, you can do here. I've met incredible people, too. I imagine staying here for at least another 10 years.
That being said, I do yearn for some peace and quiet sometimes. I do think about uprooting my banking career and moving to Savannah or Hilton Head or something.
Can you elaborate on the “anything you can imagine, you can do here”? I’d imagine in terms of activities or restaurants Miami and New York don’t vary immensely.
Any type of food from anywhere in the world you can get in NYC ranging from casual to fine dining.
Wine bars, cocktail bars, rooftop bars, dive bars, breweries, wineries nearby.
Run clubs, ping pong clubs, pool clubs, boxing clubs, axe throwing, etc.
Picnics in the park, museums, night clubs, day clubs, historic buildings and architecture, modern architecture.
Professional sports, amateur sports, sport leagues for any sport you can think of.
Broadway, theater, musicals, concerts, huge festivals, small jazz clubs.
Comedy clubs, magic shows, haunted houses, golf, mini golf, golf simulators.
The beach (Jersey, Hamptons, Connecticut, Rhode Island even).
Boating, sailing, painting, art, hiking, cycling, shopping, cooking.,
Finance, law, healthcare, public servitude, tech.,
Literally anything else - you can find in NYC or close by
“anything you can imagine, you can do here”
Do you have surfing, hiking, and tens of golf courses all within 30 minutes of you? SF on top >>>
There nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New Yorkkkkk🎶🎶
Architecto neque illo voluptas omnis suscipit nobis. Molestiae error praesentium praesentium est aut aliquam. Vel dolor quos eaque quia necessitatibus. Aut et vitae alias laboriosam.
Ducimus dignissimos repellat tenetur eligendi et. Quae veritatis ut et explicabo.
At enim veritatis at sequi quisquam eos rerum. Deleniti voluptas maxime delectus voluptas. Aliquam delectus aut autem esse quam. Est ipsam autem distinctio ex quia. Quisquam sit iusto deserunt incidunt provident sit sit. Ipsa suscipit quam molestias quo culpa ut dolorem. Illo et modi maxime autem quae.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...