<p>OK…I also worked for a top IB for a few years. Made good money. Worked horrible hours. Some of the folks I worked with were terrific…but many were arrogant self-absorbed jerks.
I think I read one post about how it changes people. Personally, I starting walking faster, talking faster, and developed a more abrasive style than usual. Survival.
But after I while, I hated it. I flat out quit and went on my own a few years ago. Never looked back. Lots of my old buddies have recently been laid off. Not a good time to be out on the market - with inflated pay levels hanging around your neck. It’s ugly. </p>
<p>As to whether or not elite schools contribute to this culture, I don’t know. There were certainly many entitled Ivy types around. But the business DOES seem to attract a certain type. You would get a sense for it…it’s hard to describe…but you would know in the first two minutes of a interview if you were dealing with someone who could make it in that environment. You just knew. </p>
<p>Again, I’m glad to be out of it and working in a totally different industry. But I do keep and treasure old friendships from those years. And I believe the experience helped me excel in other environments. Kind of like “boot camp” I guess, although I did my “training” at a mature age. I’m also able to recognize what was warped about the experience. And I don’t want my son going in that direction.</p>