Would you work at an Investment Bank ?

[esze001]

If your in finance then most would think about working for an investment bank, or aiming to, that's what i'm doing.

From people I know who work at Investment Banks they are required to work at high stress levels, long hours, dealing with politics etc, of course the pay is good but is it worth it ?

Taking into consideration of the points I made above, would you work in a Investment Bank ?

Originally Posted by esze001

If your in finance then most would think about working for an investment bank, or aiming to, that's what i'm doing.

From people I know who work at Investment Banks they are required to work at high stress levels, long hours, dealing with politics etc, of course the pay is good but is it worth it ?

Taking into consideration of the points I made above, would you work in a Investment Bank ?

Yes, it is worth it.

do it when you're young

I am in my early 30s and married with 3 little kids now. Given the crazy long hours in IB, I would not want to work there. I value my family time and my current banking role lets me knock off at 6pm which is great.

Maybe if I were single and young and I could start in IB i would have given it a shot for the experience and $$. But alas I am neither a ivy league grad or a local scholar so I probably would not be able to get in anyway.

My friend who is in IB is busy 24/7 even during her leave always busy checking her emails and following up on projects throughout the whole year. Everytime lunch always fly aeroplane cos last minute things always crop up. Doesn't sound like fun at all.

Been there, done that. Nothing to me. Just a slave.
Long hours, unhealthy lifestyle.
Yes, good pay but high expenses too.
No choice but to live in condo, drive luxury cars so as to fit in.
Btw, I'm retired. 47 years old. Collecting passive income from my stocks portfolio.
Everyday now watching TV, go gym and swimming in my luxury condo.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Been there, done that. Nothing to me. Just a slave.
Long hours, unhealthy lifestyle.
Yes, good pay but high expenses too.
No choice but to live in condo, drive luxury cars so as to fit in.
Btw, I'm retired. 47 years old. Collecting passive income from my stocks portfolio.
Everyday now watching TV, go gym and swimming in my luxury condo.

Sounds about right.
Really long and unpredictable hours and lots of drinking.

[lordlad]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Sounds about right.
Really long and unpredictable hours and lots of drinking.

but put in perspective....it is because of the long hours and unhealthy lifestyle that you can afford to have the capital to put into investment so that you can just rely on that now for passive income...

nothing drops from the sky...especially money. if you want it, you have to work for it. Not saying hard work equals high returns but laziness and the reluctance to work hard will not get anyone anywhere...

Originally Posted by lordlad

but put in perspective....it is because of the long hours and unhealthy lifestyle that you can afford to have the capital to put into investment so that you can just rely on that now for passive income...

nothing drops from the sky...especially money. if you want it, you have to work for it. Not saying hard work equals high returns but laziness and the reluctance to work hard will not get anyone anywhere...

there is a price for everything. the long hours and unhealthy lifestyle may mean you can retire early but it also mean you may die early or even die before you could smell the roses and retire.

[lordlad]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

there is a price for everything. the long hours and unhealthy lifestyle may mean you can retire early but it also mean you may die early or even die before you could smell the roses and retire.

sorry but i beg to differ.......working hard will not make ppl die young....it's only the stress that puts on the mental pressure that can take a toll on the body..

however, just because one is working hard doesn't mean he is under 'negative' stress....

For example, i am doing a project last year whereby i promised to get it done before 2014 hits. It's a stress for me to hit this target but it's a self-imposed stress (i am the one that came up with the timeline) and at the end, i am proud and satisfied that I imposed that.

If there's no stress, nobody will do their work with urgency. Those that suffered from 'negative' stress disorder are those that put emotion into their work....whether they are frustrated at the clients/boss or the lack of progression at their own plight, etc....

my method of working is to keep my emotion attachment to the company and colleagues to the bare minimum. You can smile and socialise with them during lunch and after work, but ultimately, keep a distance with them, do not have any emotion attachment with the work, the ppl and the workplace itself, be it negative or positive. In that way, you will not be affect by 'negative' stress.

That's how i did all these while. For me, i don't love or hate my work, or my company. To me, the company or the work itself is unimportant and irrelevant. It's the result of my work and what it can get me that I am attached to. My quality of work directly and indirectly affects what I can get/have, as such, i strive for the highest quality......but ultimately, i don't really care for the company, the people or the work itself. I bear no resentments if my boss never promote or increase my pay. I just go and open up for new opportunities......

my 2 cents..

I used to be a high flying MNC executive. After working so many years in a highly stressful and unhealthy environment (I got really ill), I decided to retire early to take care of of my ailing health. I managed to pay off my condo mortgage and all my loans. Now I am getting $80k of passive income from stocks dividends while my wife earns $120k pa. Due to no loans, our expenses are now much lower at $70k pa. My net worth is now $1.8m while my wife's net worth is $600k. Most of my net worth are in my condo and stocks.