<p>I'm currently considering going into either finance or consulting and was wondering what the general hours are like for these career paths that pay on the high end? Is a 9-5 job realistic for something that pays $70K+ a few years out of a top five undergrad business school? If not, what are the hours like?</p>
<p>Well, a 40 hr work week would actually be 8 to 5 (1 hr lunch), and $70k is certainly do-able in a fortune 500 type company after a period of time (would take more than a few years), if you are happy being stuck in a dead-end career.</p>
<p>Consulting, requires long hours plus travel. So, no, it would not qualify.</p>
<p>I guess I didn’t make it clear in my first post, but I’m looking more for a career where you can continually move up than be stuck in a dead-end career. Is a 9-5 job common for someone who works in finance and makes $100K at the mid point of their career? </p>
<p>I’m not too interested in the 100 hour plus work weeks of investment bankers since I plan to start a family at some point in my life.</p>
<p>Dead end is subjective…</p>
<p>But I’ll tell you, once you’re working in an office environment it’s not like a job at the mall where once the clock hits 5 you’re outta there. I’m sure you can do that, but people will notice it. Especially if the corporate culture is to stay late because there is work to do that needs to be done. </p>
<p>For every job it will vary, but I highly doubt in finance or consulting you will be working 8-5 consistently.</p>