What's your motivation for working in high finance?

Title pretty much says it all. I want to know why you guys are going through all the stress and hardship to make the big bucks. Like a lot of people on here I was lucky enough to be born into a pretty affluent/privileged family, so my goals are to drive a Ferrari (or something like that) and live in a cool/nice neighborhood with a good work/life balance (obviously a quite a few years down the road since I'm in my early 20's). I know some people have very different motivations such as supporting working class parents, being able to retire super early, etc., and I'm curious to hear what you guys have to say.

 
Funniest

Every job is dead boring, and since I can't shoot communists with some bros in the jungles of Congo, I might as well do the job that provides the highest possible compensation

 

Cant tell if your trolling but...facts bro. Every since I joined the military and learned about CIA covert ops and read Ghost Wars and Legacy of Ashes I wanted to join the CIA. Then I found out that we dont really do that stuff anymore unless a major war or global conflict is going on and the war is over. Now I work at desk and wish I was cool. My VPs seem pretty cool though. Maybe it gets better.

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

This. Money and prestige and the lack of feasibility of doing something they enjoy is the reason >99% of the people in high finance are in high finance.

 

While both previous comments of the Congo or balling out in the Caribbean make sense, I do it because it’s interesting. Just make sure you stick in a vertical you’re genuinely passionate about.

 

what if he grows up hating your guts (maybe because you were absent too much, or maybe because he has no other way to establish himself cause everything was already done for him) and becomes a pink-haired face-tattooed belly-button-pierced non-binary gay who spends all his time smoking weed at Eat The Rich rallies? will you feel like you wasted your life then (cause all you did was sacrificing your life to provide for him)?

 

To make money, find a nice wife, have a nice car/home, financially stable, and to bring honor to my family. "You know xyz's son? He made it to Goldman Sachs and drives a BMW 7 series!" 

 

Its funny how people got so caught up in crafting a good why banking/ why pe interview answer that theyve convinced themselves that it isnt for money lol. no one gives a fuck about "a dynamic and fast paced environment!" unless the alternative is literally watching paint dry

 

Just wanted to quote this response from an older thread. Heavy stuff.

I got in this industry so that 1) my mom could quit her job and I can make sure that she's taken care of for the rest of her life and 2) I can make sure my two sisters are covered for college and can pursue their dreams of medicine without crushing debt. I'm staying because I don't know what my passion is -- not all of us had the luxury of discovering ourselves, what the hell would I even quit to do?

I know the life I'm signing myself up for, I know it doesn't include much happiness, but I think I'm fine with the trade-off that I'm not currently living for myself but for the people important to me.

https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/are-some-of-us-very-insecure 

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

Hard to advance within corporate companies, it's too slow. Best corporate job offers (outside of tech) often go to ex-consultants/IB/PE (at manager level and beyond, wouldn't recommend honestly entering below manager). These types of jobs usually include interesting internal/external strategy executions that rarely anyone beyond C-Suite/senior management has access to until these strategic changes happen. These roles can be often exclusive from mundane/repetitive work that's fairly accessible to the majority of the company (I'm in one of these types of somewhat slow moving repetitive roles and it gets boring quickly).

I will say if you're a talented engineer, you can have limitless opportunities. Strong tech employers could care less about the prestige of your undergrad/MBA if you're an gifted coder/SWE.

 

I’m scared of instability. Of being poor again. Once you have reliable heating once in your life you never want to go back.

 

Consequatur earum numquam esse et sit. Est ipsam et est fugit excepturi commodi et. Ea ipsum id laudantium odio minima numquam.

Itaque ullam soluta quisquam illo eos possimus. Quibusdam omnis officia laboriosam voluptatem doloribus perferendis. Ex blanditiis a dolorem aspernatur praesentium omnis sit incidunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”