Does finance suck that much?

Don't look too much into it. For one, this is a whole website mostly focused on IB, which is sole crushing and horrible, with the added affect most people going into IB aren't the biggest finance fans and just want the exit opps. There are literally so many great roles in finance that you can find anything you want. Like math? Structuring, quant, trading. Like people? Sales, IB, IR. Like writing long reports on things? ER, AM. Like working with businesses? PC, PE, VC, GE, IB, etc. So many different options in different areas. 

if you don't care about WLB and you're a "corporate" guy i.e. don't give a crap about tech / grass is greener, then there isn't much issue in this. You're in your 20s at the peak of your energy/stamina levels to the point that you can go sleepless for a day without much effort, which is harder once you're more senior. This energy/brain pumping dopamine 24/7 is used by people at your age to party, etc. which is basically as tiresome as banking because you go out, drink until wasted (alcohol is poison so its hard for your body) and come at 6/7, sleep like shit, and feel like shit for 1-2 days afterwards. This is no different than being wasted in banking in terms of destroying your body. Sure, is IB fun? well no, it's a job, it isn't supposed to be fun. 

If you care about the job it also helps, because it's filled by prestige oriented guys who can't wait to leave to talk about how they are "ex-GS and here's my LinkedIn post on what I learned and how I am building now a start-up" ???? which doesn't create the sort of teams you might want when people join to brag about it insted of genuinly caring about the job/career. You either see yourself doing finance long-term or you don't. Your alternative is entrepreneurship, which you need to enjoy managing an HVAC business (I don't), some sort of start-up where you need to sit with a bunch of nerds that you just hate for what they represent (I do) or I don't know. If you're not sure, you might get in to "see" but then will end up probably as well complaining. 

also, who do you have in banking? some guys who came thinking they'll take 6 fig paycheck and go to Bahamas on holidays and see Asia? yeah, sorry kid but this will have to wait (unless you're in Euro office hehe). Also, if you've never faced adversity in your life you'll cry like the other guy in the other thread. But if you have some pair of balls and are mature then you might even end up enjoying it, who knows? I worked at 16-18 in the summers doing some shitty gardening/woodworking job undeer august sun and it was a fucking pleasure to go every day, be it 12,15,18 hours in a clean suit to fuck around in an Excel and listen to my VP/MD give me a sense of business reality rather than whatever you might learn in your classrooms. Sure, the team/MD does make a difference, but if you're not set on doing finance because you like it, then you'll be miserable notwithstanding your team.

what you see on those forums is not representative of the above average guys and it's just the bottom who is in some sort of depression/existential crisis and needs to talk about it (hence, why forums are overrepresented by negative posts). I am in the opposite side, I do enjoy finance and I do have an inclination to mentor/give advice, so I do come here quite often to share more optimistic views about this field. I do enjoy it and plenty of others do, so I can assure you those complains come from spoiled/entitled kids who watched too many tiktoks about wow how cool to be a banker wow lots of money wow very prestige

Honestly, don’t let the horror stories freak you out too much. Finance can be brutal, especially at first, but it really depends on the role and company. Some areas (like investment banking or trading) are intense, but others (like corporate finance or FP\&A) are way more manageable.
My advice: focus on building skills and networking early, don’t burn yourself out trying to chase the “highest paying” role straight away, and remember you can pivot later. Money is nice, but if you hate your life doing it, it’s not worth it. Find a balance.
If you want, I can break down which finance paths are more chill vs. “breaking point” level.
 

I worked corporate finance in a prestigious company and could have retired there, but sought something better. I was jealous of IB pay and IBers were jealous of my work / life balance. 

Meh I worked in IB at GS and it sucked. Hours were bad and mental health suffered significantly. Your mileage may vary. 

Avoid IB. It’s funny how everyone I know that did wealth management ended up running their own book and making $300K+ working 20 hours a week. 

IB is awful and essentially just a platform to use for the exits

There are lots of options in finance for what you want to do — you don’t have to do IB. I did it for one summer and disliked it. Working at an RIA can offer better WLB and benefits, for example. 

start indie hacking

It all depends, but yes to a large extent it is soul crushing and miserable. The field has become increasingly stagnant compared to the 1980s, people were making partner in less than 10 years, now that might get you to director in the time, if you’re lucky. Compensation on a risk adjusted basis is worse there’s a lot more bankers and a lot less opportunity.

 Most banks have much more fleshed out coverage so it’s far harder to establish yourself as a senior banker. Honestly, looking back, I wish I went into tech.