What age do people drop out of IB?

Obviously not everyone who starts at analyst stays in IB until they’re MD. The pyramid thins out going up the chain

What age do most people drop out? What is the attrition rate? not everyone surely wants to be doing this into their 40s?

11 Comments
 
 

As an AN2 who have got the A2A promotion and will leave the industry within the next 2-3 years (so in total about 4 years), a couple of friends I made after getting into IB are both VPs. One is a senior asso/junior VP and another one senior VP. They have left because of the $, nothing else. One of them, a guy, plans to leave in the next 4-5 years. The other one, a girl, does not plan to leave because of the $. She is having serious health issues right now, yet she doesn't want to let go the $. 

Know 1 guy from MS trying to go to PE after 2 years as an Associate. I sincerely hope he can make it because I personally his VP is a try-hard and creates a lot of unnecessary work (we've worked together in a deal). He pivoted to MS from a tech firm's engineering position. It's an interesting story. 

 
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1- Obvious answer is 2 years into the analyst stint. Highest attrition by far.

2 -Lots of post-MBA associates leave within 2-3 years as well, probably around 40% of the folks hired at this level make it to VP.

3 - There is some turnover at the VP/director level - I personally plan to leave at this stage. Like it or not, the pay at in IB rises extremely quickly year over year, so I'll make a great salary in my mid-30s after grinding my ass off for a few years as an associate. Once the job starts to become a pure sales job though, I'm out. Seeing the lives some of these guys lead makes me miserable… constant travel and pressure of bringing in deals, not seeing family/friends or even building a relationship with them, etc. Not for me.

 

This is what I hope I can do. Get to VP/director and then leave. What are you trying to exit to at that stage though? Is F100 Corp dev still not going to be a massive pay cut?

 

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