Reasons to Stay in Finance

Hitting the 1 year mark soon and mentally fed up with this job. The inefficiencies, repetitiveness, boredom, and late nights have made it pretty unbearable. 
 

Especially comparing to my friends in SWE, who are up for promotion for $250-$300k+ TC roles this year working half my hours. 
 

However, trying to play the long game. Currently have a 2025 MF PE Assoc offer (but know the hours are not materially better). Thinking if it’s worth it or should I pivot to a SWE / other tech role.

People who’ve felt the same, what motivated you to stay in finance and was worth it? 

2 Comments
 

Funny, I am contemplating literally the reverse switch in a post titled ”Moving from Tech to Finance”. I didn’t get much encoyragement. I work at a tech scale up with fewer than 500 employees. I think my place is almost unique in how agile and fast-paced it is. Pretty chaotic. Sounds like you’re thinking of more FAANGish tech companies? From what I hear about them they are nearly as bureaucratic as a lot of bigger finance orgs. However tech hours I think can be slightly shorter… I suspect the main difference is cultural and political tbh. Tech is super liberal (read passive-aggressive) so if that’s your cup of tea…

 

Rerum repudiandae aperiam voluptatibus. Maiores quis vel esse inventore sint tempora corporis. Quia quae aut fugit est dolores.

Officiis veniam rem sapiente voluptatum quaerat nisi autem. Corrupti possimus ullam natus. Nemo et alias consectetur similique. Voluptatem non dignissimos quam necessitatibus molestiae quia. Rerum quis eius assumenda.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”