Those who didn’t break in are losing it because they got dinged by every single bank and think their life is over.
Those who did break in are losing it because the hours are brutal and the burnout is real.
Pick your struggle. This game isn’t easy on either side.
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| +29 | Going out / social schedule as AN1 | 14 | 2d |
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Spoken like a true prospect that has never worked a single day even as an intern yet.
Just to clarify, I’m actually in PE. I probably didn’t word my original post the best way. I wasn’t trying to say that no one has the right to complain, far from it. Everyone’s been through their own version of the grind, and it’s completely fair to be frustrated, whether you’re trying to break in or already in the seat.
What I was really trying to highlight is how negative this forum has become overall. It feels like every other post is someone venting about how miserable they are or how much they regret going into the industry. And yes, that’s part of the truth, the hours suck, the pressure is real, and burnout happens. But when that’s all you see, it creates a warped picture of the entire industry.
The joke is on you. Read Howard Marks "Further Thoughts on Sea Change." Finance is a dying, washed up, beta industry in a rising rate, low growth, inflationary, and more volatile economic environment with widespread automation and AI adoption on the very near horizon.
Finance isn’t dying, it’s evolving. Capital still needs to be allocated, risks still need managing, and markets still need intermediaries. AI and automation will kill inefficiencies, not the industry.
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