Sleep ● Career ● Health ● Friends ● Family - Pick 2

Sleep ● Career ● Health ● Friends ● Family

My mentor told me in most finance jobs, you get to pick any three of them you want.

In IB, you get to pick any two you want.

Thoughts?

31 Comments
 

Interesting question, will try to answer.

So, for a person in IB, career is a natural choice. Person studied hard, networked, prepared to break into this field. Not thinking about career would be a strange option. If it wasn't the point why then to choose to break into this industry. However, the definition of a career varies from person to person. So some, being a banker is a definition of successful career, for some PE, for some top groups etc. So, the career option will attract the ambitious side of a person.

Friends option should be further discussed. If most of your friends have the similar type of job to yours then it is a default option. If a friend works in a different industry, it will depend on a degree of a friendship, how close you are etc. Would your friend leave you if he/she was offered a job with good salary but long hours? Additionally, some people just don't have close friends, some just have acquitances.

Family point will also depend. Some prefer having family, but at the same time, know people who doesn't want to have one. Also, depending on the mindset for some people having a family is a must, and a person spends every available resource to the family. This is especially the case in developing countries where parents sacrifice their lives for the children.

Sleep and health are very important in the long-run but sometimes don't get the necessary attention. Having good health habits such as, healthy food and gym as far as I know is possible despite working a lot. Sleep is another story. Some people are used to sleeping little, for some even 12 hours are not enough.

So, I think in IB you can have career, friends (banker friends or former college friends), family (partner understands you and supports you + senior people do have a family), and good health habits (choosing what to eat is up to you). Only sleep seems like a challenging option.

 

At the end of the day I think this can very much be a sliding spectrum and as long as you are okay with how much effort you put in every category then you will be just fine.  

AKA if you have 20 mins call your parents.  If you have a bad week and cant work out work out harder next week,  If your career is slowing a bit turn on the afterburners.  

 

career and family + (close friends you see once a year + friends in similar line of work)

 

You can eat healthy and get 20 min of cardio in everyday...so health is a gimme. In my analyst stint, I'm focusing on sleep and career, and will see family on holidays and one-off occasions. Working extremely hard now so I can leave after my analyst stint is done. More time for friends when I'm not an analyst

Edit: Redbull helps you see family / friends more

 

Enim incidunt repudiandae enim et. Iusto esse dolores dignissimos. Inventore et placeat aut. Aliquam distinctio ut voluptatem delectus iste. Dolorum modi animi nam velit ipsam eum optio. Accusantium pariatur voluptatem aliquid consequatur quis.

Aut est animi est eveniet repellat reprehenderit. Sed modi fugit sint. Assumenda in voluptatem aperiam et tempora reiciendis. Blanditiis voluptates eos est ad error. Laborum omnis dolorum nemo. Dolor facilis repudiandae odio dolorem.

Quas nam minus perferendis fuga ut vitae nulla. Id deserunt est ex expedita quisquam. Architecto quo placeat sapiente quam.

 

Aperiam perspiciatis illo rem eos. Dolores blanditiis aspernatur aperiam ipsum est eius ipsa.

Ipsum neque itaque est vero et dignissimos veritatis. Ea vitae dolor suscipit laboriosam. Dolor ut ullam beatae et accusantium enim minus. Harum sunt vel nobis perferendis dolor sunt saepe. Dolorem animi est omnis vitae quas animi enim. Dolor voluptas id voluptatem enim.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”