I am a young guy, from what I am told Investment bankers do not make as much money as most people think & you have to work many many hours. So logically I would assume that people most love what they do, why do you do it? What do you love about it?
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You'll be pushing brown by the wheelbarrow for this question.
For starters, use the search function, top right. Also, disclaimer, I do not work and have not worked in I.B.
Every few months a thread like this makes the popular content section, and the general consensus, in bullet points, is:
Money. Everyone has their own way of articulating this motivation without straight up saying it.
Exit Opportunities. Go on LinkedIn and check out the profiles of people who've worked in investment banking. If and when they exit, they're still not sucking by any means, usually doing better (so this still has to do with money).
Skillset. Very few people outside of investment banking have the want/drive to understand valuation, patience to become experts in excel, or sales/soft skills to advance in IB, PE, etc. These skills can be used in corporates, hedge funds, and your local bakery to better serve the company. (so this has to do with both money and exit ops).
Challenge/Intellectual stimulus. This is more of a mirage, as the few members on here who both got hired as an analyst and write vent about being a pitch monkey and the repetitive nature of the job. Granted, the people who really do like it also come on here and do an AMA because they've made it to VP/MD/Partner, and have continually taken on new challenges. However, not even those guys will tell you that it's as "stimulating" as a finance PhD/staying in academia.
Prestige. "Oh I heard Charlie is in investment banking. I'm going to fellat (pronounced fill-ay-sh) him"
Again, I had the want to work in IB when I came here and burnt out. I've not the pedigree or drive to earn a spot. I'm a sales guy, and just interviewed for a sales trader job today. So, take my musings for what they are. But, I think you'll find this aligns pretty well with the motivations.
I'm not saying people don't genuinely enjoy valuation work, or finance in general. The repetitive nature of IB seems to eat that part away, though, and shit out greed after every meal.
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