Why Would You Ever Ever Want to be an Investment Banker

thanks for your window shopping analysis

Sorry the interview did not go like you expected...

I think it has to do with people's motivations.

I think for people who know what the industry is, the demands, and the sacrifice going in and they still want to do it, it's a great choice

There's also a significant proportion of junior bankers who are doing it simply because they want to be/feel elite, For that group, I'd agree it's a bad choice.

It worries me that you've posted this when you're a therapist, especially one who claims to cater to a client base that includes a lot (it seems) of bankers.

A few observations about your post:

• Going into investment banking is very different than staying in investment banking. This website is mostly about the former. Going into banking makes a lot of sense because, after two years of toiling away, most analysts will have a chance to exit. The banking skillset is something that will be valuable at ALL levels of business, whether it's product, marketing, investing, management or operations. Two years of sacrifice for a career's worth of valuable skills is, in my opinion (and in the opinion of many) a fair price to pay.

• You're seeing a limited subset of people within the profession which is likely clouding your objectivity. Happy bankers/finance professionals (yes, there are plenty of them) are unlikely to hire a therapist, so you're only seeing the ugly side.

• It's not as simple as just switching that side of yourself off. There are mental blocks and specific motivating factors that are unique to different people. Different people value different things. I could take an exit right now and get paid $200k/year comfortably working 40 hrs/week for the rest of my life, but I choose not to because I would be bored out of my mind. The sacrifice right now, to me, is worth it because I would be more unhappy if I were just coasting along. At some point that will stop being true. And at that point, I will stop. But you can't fault me for making the right decision for myself at this point in my life (to note - I'm not in banking, I'm on the buyside, but same thing) even if I'm unhappy, because I don't share your values, and only I know how to optimize my own happiness.

As for your clients - I know the kind of people you're referring to, as I've worked with a number of people who appear to be incredibly unhappy and should seek professional help. For those people, I'm glad they have someone to talk to, and I hope you listen with an open mind. It's not as easy as "just quit," because there's a reason they're staying put. People can be irrational with sporadic decisions, but largely become rational over a long enough time horizon. Why does the money matter so much to them? Are they just afraid of change, or is something else motivating them to stay put? What are the consequences of leaving, and would they be worse than sticking it out? What makes them happy? I hope you're thinking about those questions, because what they value is likely different than what you value, and projecting your world view helps no one.

I mean, what makes banking unique is that you do A LOT of it. If you don’t like banking, you’ll be doing A LOT of what you don’t like. If you have shit leadership, you’ll experience that A LOT. But for many it’s the other way around.