Trenches?
It's 2am and I still have a few hours of work ahead of me thanks to my director promising our client we'd be done with the CIM by EOW even though we aren't going out to investors until December. I told my WC buddy I'd be in the trenches tonight, but came to the realization that we don't share a common definition of "trenches".
I asserted that banking trenches are akin to ocean trenches given how underwater I am, while my colleague believes it to refer to the harsh conditions in military trenches. Who's right?
Based on previous WSO threads, the term "trenches" in the context of banking often refers to the harsh, demanding conditions similar to those experienced in military trenches. This metaphor is used to describe the grueling hours, high stress, and intense workload that bankers face, akin to the challenging and strenuous environment of military trenches.
For example, in the thread titled "Help me understand the new generations…", a user mentions, "Everyone that did their fair time rolling around in actual trenches (hate when people that have never even held a shovel say they've been in the trenches working on deadline or something) will agree on how less stressful and well paying the roles actually are." This indicates that the term "trenches" is used metaphorically to compare the demanding nature of banking work to the physical and mental challenges faced in military trenches.
Additionally, in the thread "How can you take it?", a user highlights the difference between physical labor and desk jobs, emphasizing that people do not appreciate a desk job until they've experienced the physical demands of military-like conditions: "People do not appreciate a desk job until you've carried 70+ lbs of equipment going through narrow holes onto a military ship, then climb back upwards with the very same equipment after a grueling 10-12+ hour shift of hard, back-breaking labor."
Therefore, your colleague's interpretation of "trenches" referring to the harsh conditions in military trenches is more aligned with the common usage in the banking context.
Sources: Help me understand the new generations…, Doctor VS. Banker, Anyone else fed up with the banking/finance industy?, Re: Moelis Staffer email. Why Bankers Lives Suck And What To Do About It, How can you take it?
Military
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