How do you cope with being single for a long time?

As much as I love love, I just... feel like it isn't worth it. I don't know anyone at all that's been in a long relationship or married and is truly happy, but I meet plenty of single people that do seem pretty enthusiastic about their lives.

Has anyone else mulled over this as well?

25 Comments
 

Are you a male? You only get better with time as a man. You want to milk being single and successful for as long as damn possible. This is a no brainer. You get to reap the rewards of your hard work. Why would you settle down before your peak “value” in the sexual marketplace. Enjoy life and being as free and successful as you can.
 

A woman is born with value, while a man has to create their value and build themselves from the ground up in wealth, confidence, and physical appearance. A man IS the prize at the end of the day because thousands of woman turn 18 every single day, while there is a very limited supply of tall, confident, wealthy, and attractive high-value men.
 

The modern average woman today (at least in the U.S. I can’t speak for elsewhere) does NOT want to settle for the average man even if the woman is on a biological clock. Outside of maternal instincts of having a child, they no longer NEED a man to survive due to the rise of successful females in the corporate workplace. In many major cities, we see young female income becoming just as high as young male income. Do you see the mismatch here? 

 

"Just work on yourself and the girls will come to you" has to be the worst dating advice in the world.

You'd think that after dozens of posts like "why am I still a virgin I have an investment banking job" or "help is she a gold digger" on this website every single day, people would stop saying this, but alas.

It's like only lifting or running if you want to be a football player.  Sure, all the best football players are good overall athletes, but to get good at football, you need to play a lot of football.

 
Most Helpful

When you find the right person it's pretty great but dating is a pain so getting there can be daunting at times. I would say that the people that aren't truly happy typically end up being the people that settled in their relationship instead of holding out for the right person. To your point though, being single has its benefits, doing what you want when you want without needing to worry about anyone else's input is nice. At the end of the day it really boils down to individual personalities, I enjoy my personal space and doing things on my own so being single doesn't phase me but there are plenty of people who are the opposite and need another person in their life and bounce from one relationship to another.

 

You need to date enough women (either casually or seriously) so that you realize that conversation and personality are the #1 factors in a long term relationship, and looks and beauty can only get you so far. Of course physical traits are very important, but smooth conversation, intellectual curiosity, and warm personality are essential for long term happiness.

But in today's world we have high divorce rate because people only follow or settle for what they "think" they like, not what they actually need. 

 

You need to date enough women (either casually or seriously) so that you realize that conversation and personality are the #1 factors in a long term relationship, and looks and beauty can only get you so far. Of course physical traits are very important, but smooth conversation, intellectual curiosity, and warm personality are essential for long term happiness.

I tend to agree. I’ve definitely had relationships with chicks high on the hot/crazy scale and honestly the craziest thing I have ever encountered is when a really hot chick doesn’t get her way.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

What is a long time?

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

A truly powerful man jealously guards his most precious resources; his independence and ability to manoeuvre. In other words his options and his ability to exercise them.

 

I agree with you that it's usually more often than not, not worth it. Unless it is someone I can really see myself being with for a long time, with the personality qualities of empathy, perceptiveness, self awareness, maturity and willingness to better themselves. Theres no point wasting time and energy on starting a relationship if it wouldn't last long. Unless there's the possibility I can learn from the person, and build something solid with them, and only if they value me as a person and what I can provide for their lives. I'd rather be single and in fact do plan to be single for the many years to come.

 

Excepturi eos doloribus sed et. Non saepe odio vero vel repudiandae reprehenderit vel quia. Repellendus eveniet enim nihil saepe iure tenetur. Recusandae debitis quia non consequatur incidunt odio. Alias qui id ut commodi dolores ut. Consequatur quod sunt maiores repudiandae illo voluptatem. Vero eum voluptas doloremque non.

Culpa non assumenda rerum nihil quis. Ut itaque maiores atque et modi. Ut ut eum dignissimos nihil facere a nostrum.

Sed delectus veniam ullam aliquid error consequuntur. Eum aut dolorem ad impedit qui nihil qui qui. Commodi ullam magni sequi aperiam tempore nam ut error.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”