Expecting a Child, Considering Turning Down JPM IB - What Finance Careers Still Have $1M+ Upside?
I’m going to keep myself anonymous, but I’m currently at a top undergraduate business program. I interned in investment banking at Wells Fargo after my sophomore year and received a return offer, and I currently have a junior summer analyst role lined up at JPMorgan.
I’m seriously considering walking away from the traditional IB path because I’m expecting a child in early 2027.
I’m a first-generation student and had no family or personal network in financial services when I started college. I worked extremely hard to get to this point, so considering a different path is difficult. I still care a lot about my career and do not want to give up on what I have been working toward. At the same time, becoming a father has changed what I am optimizing for.
I am fine working hard. Working 80–100 hours a week does not scare me. What matters more now is predictability. I want to be able to have dinner with my family most nights, spend at least part of the weekend with them, and actually be present while my child is young, which I never had. I would honestly prefer a job that starts very early in the morning and ends earlier in the evening over something where I am constantly waiting for a 10 PM request.
My ideal starting point would be roughly $150–200k+ in total compensation out of undergrad while generally staying in the 50–70 hour range. More importantly, I do not want to choose a “lifestyle” job at 22 that permanently limits my career. As my child gets older and needs less hands-on attention, I would like the ability to take on more responsibility and potentially reach high six figures or low seven figures in my early/mid-30s if I perform well.
So far, I have been researching:
- Sales & Trading, particularly credit, rates, commodities, and securitized products, with potential exits to hedge funds or asset managers
- PE secondaries / GP-led secondaries
- Private credit
- Institutional asset management
- Investor relations / capital formation at large alternative managers
- Staying in a more stable finance role initially and potentially using an MBA later to pivot into PE or another investing role
I have also considered simply doing JPM IB because of how difficult the opportunity was to earn, but the unpredictability of banking hours is what worries me more than the raw number of hours.
Long term, one of my biggest goals has always been to financially support and eventually retire my immigrant parents, who started with very little. I still have that ambition. I am just trying to figure out whether there is a path in finance where I can pursue it without missing the first few years of my child’s life.
For people who have worked in these areas, especially those with children:
What careers or specific desks/groups would you seriously consider in my position?
Ideally, I’m looking for something with:
- ~$150–200k+ starting total compensation
- ~50–70 hours most weeks
- relatively predictable evenings/weekends
- strong compensation growth
- realistic potential to reach $500k–$1M+ later in a successful career
- good exit opportunities if I decide to become more aggressive with my career once my child is older
I would especially appreciate insight from people in S&T, private credit, secondaries, asset management, hedge funds, or alternatives fundraising. I’m also open to careers I may be overlooking entirely.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are some finance career paths that align with your goals of balancing family life while maintaining strong compensation growth and potential for a $1M+ upside:
1. Sales & Trading (S&T)
2. Private Credit
3. PE Secondaries / GP-Led Secondaries
4. Institutional Asset Management
5. Investor Relations / Capital Formation at Large Alternative Managers
6. Staying in a Stable Finance Role with an MBA Pivot
7. Sales Roles in Finance
Key Considerations:
If predictability and family time are your top priorities, S&T, private credit, or asset management might be your best bets. These roles strike a balance between strong starting pay, reasonable hours, and long-term upside.
Sources: The Efficient Career Hypothesis: Almost All Jobs Are Priced In, Accounting vs Finance: Part 1 – Career Paths, Finance can ruin your career (hot take), Over 30, still no undergrad, finance career options?, Accounting vs Finance: Part 1 – Career Paths
Sales and trading sets you up best for this with hours (earlier leaning) + often times facetime need shuts down after market close. Weekends tend to be pretty protected and you aren't required to go out as much as a junior trader. Most others are pretty tricky given how early kids bedtimes are.
Or if you are geographically mobile, shoot for a public markets facing seat (credit analyst, S&T, etc.) out of San Francisco or Los Angeles. You start at 4 or 5AM but can be done by 3-4PM.
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