Serious Problem in Banking or just Anecdotal
Creating this post because I see a serious irony in the top three posts on ib forum atm. Top being and prospect who just got a full time offer while the second and third are two analysts who have been pushed to the end of their rope. Do the multitude of recent depressed analyst posts on here indicate big problems in the banking world or are these just blips on a large radar and not the majority.
Also regardless of what the truth is, I think it's admirable that some of these analysts are reaching out for help and I feel somewhat better seeing the amount of genuinely helpful comments on those posts.
The people complaining do have genuine concerns and the problems they face are very valid. However, remember that those posts are not representative of the entire banking space. Not sure what exactly youre referring to, but if its regarding WFH, then in my experience, WFH has been the best thing to happen to banking. Others might say the opposite. If its the long hours, then sure that’s nothing new. Its tough but I came in expecting to grind my ass off and im pretty used to it
I feel like a lot of people underestimate how hard an 90+ hour week is and then get slapped in the face when it happens. No saying its for everyone, but feels like some of these analyst forgot to do their due diligence.
100 hour weeks in WFH are awful. I thought I knew exactly what I signed up for in terms of hours when I was an analyst, but you don't really get it until you face multiple consecutive bad weeks or months - even your internship doesn't truly prepare you for the full time grind. The only way I survived the bad stretches in my analyst years was through bullpen camaraderie when at least a few of us were still there at 3am together. I can understand why some would struggle coping with those sorts of hours in WFH. There would be a profound sense of loneliness if you were by yourself or around others working normal hours.
I personally have loved WFH, but I also am no longer at the bottom of the totem pole and long ago learned how to set boundaries between work and personal life to avoid losing my sanity.
Banking can be tough on the mind and body. You either commit to being a hardo or find a way to achieve better balance. Sometimes you promote your way out of it by no longer being a first year with the worst projects, sometimes you have change your mindset and habits.
Couldn't agree more with everything said
Echo the respect for people speaking out, seeking help, etc. Will just say that there is definitely selection bias on this forum. People aren’t running here after they have a good day or even average day.
If you’re not depressed you’re probably not going to make a post about it.
Don’t use the WSO forum as a proxy for banking culture...
We need 100 post a day saying they are okay
Banking sucks, especially as a junior analyst. There’s no way around it.
Cupiditate nam maiores magnam ad iste. Cum accusantium qui assumenda incidunt aut. Numquam similique quia ut modi.
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