WSO is Toxic (your guys’ fault, not Patrick’s)

I am an analyst at a BB and am generally happy with my job. There are times when I get frustrated of course but reading this forum makes it sound like this job is a living hell. Sometimes I will feel completely fine with my job and will scroll this forum out of boredom and start to feel like my life must suck when I did not feel that way otherwise.

Lots of useful info on this site that helped me break into IB but I find myself coming on here less now that I’m actually in the industry because you guys are full of such doom and gloom all the time.

Being able to stay positive in this job is essential and I would recommend to anyone to stay the hell away from negativity

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I'd like to take the contrarian view and say it's actually quite the opposite. Many analysts (~1-2 years out) face burnout, or some form of anxiety and stress from prolonged endurance in their firms. What do they do? They share their frustrations, and receive guidance from veterans in the industry (lookin' at you thebrofessor and The Pharma Guy) who have been through what they're going through. 

Of course, sometimes when venting, they may share a pessimistic view, hell, I've posted many of my low points on this forum from my unyielding attempts to break into consulting to my frustrations of the Canadian economy and job market. So it's best to take all of that with a grain of salt. In the words of Behavioural Finance Jargon, the forum may be biased downward due to sample selection bias of the posts.

I may get shat on for that last sentence, but it was worth it.  

 

This 100%. In fact, one of the greatest benefits to me from WSO was reading that others were going through the same stuff. It wasn't just my associate who was an asshole but instead the norm in the industry. It helps you cope with the situation and realize that you are not the problem here as you are often made to feel on IB teams as a junior.

 

Repudiandae repellendus rem dolores. Voluptas vero dolor a sequi voluptate placeat. Nulla iste sunt quos vel fugiat soluta voluptate.

Autem ut unde voluptas minus quia architecto. Ut eius et corporis fugiat quibusdam voluptatem corrupti. Voluptatem aut exercitationem in maiores.

Only two sources I trust, Glenn Beck and singing woodland creatures.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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

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...”