<p>Recently, I met a couple of big shot investment bankers on Wall Street. both of them were balding and already were showing gray hair. Both of them were quite round too. But they're very rich and bragged about taking on a lot of responsibilities.</p>
<p>i thought these guys were in their mid-40s. Much to my shock and dismay, these people were only 25 and 26 years old (younger than me)! Yet, i look so much younger than them!!!! </p>
<p>i notice that ibankers tend to age very badly. i have seen this quite a bit. Guys who look well in their mid-40s but are actually only 25 to 30 years old. But I guess it's worth it b/c they make mad money and have a lot of power, prestige, and respect. </p>
<p>And money, prestige, and power are all that matters in today's world, right?</p>
<p>I guess you are right in some respects. Many bankers I met last summer had the same characteristics. But they were happy when we partied the night away and drank till 6am every friday and saturday. Then there was my director who looked like he was 25. And I told him that, he smiled and said, "That's a good comment." The guy has a PhD and worked at a bank for several years so I guess he didn't stress out much.</p>
<p>My cousin's fiance who works at wells as an analyst looks like he's about to topple over. Bags underneath his eyes. Definitely 80hours a week.</p>
<p>I guess that's why I decided to move into S&T instead of CorpFin. Why work 100hrs a week for 100k when you can work 50hrs a week for 100k(exaggeration).</p>
<p>Actually, IMO it's the S & T guys who age fastest and burn out often. they don't sleep nights when they are down. Corp finance is longer hours but not that kind of heart attack inducing stress where one bad move can end your career.</p>
<p>My father (used to work for GS over 20 years) is now 48 years old but always looks very young for his age. So do his colleagues. They all work out regularly (play squash,) eat well and try to stay fit (6’2" 180lbs w/ minimum hair loss). </p>
<p>But it’s true; some are very unfortunate. They really need to take care of themselves.</p>
<p>When I decided to follow his career path, he said to me that banking is a “very” stressful, demanding job (no weekends & holidays) and that he wouldn’t think I could cope with it. ***?! Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him work on weekends or after 8pm on weekdays.</p>
<p>A lot of these folks will also spend tens or hundreds of thousands on beauticians, dermatologists and various anti-ageing treatments, since in the industry looking young relative to your bank account size or title is considered basically the second most important status symbol. Many of them while appearing to be in decent shape on the exterior (due to constant and meticulous upkeep), develop horrible internal disorders which can be quite dangerous and are much harder to rectify than black bags under the eyes.</p>
<p>^^ Well that’s because he’s not at the bottom of the ladder anymore. Of course he’s not the one working on the weekends or after 8PM on weekdays.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>For those bankers that care, they can afford to buy creams, masks, facials, hair products, etc to stay looking healthy and young(er). </p></li>
<li><p>Many bankers just want the money and don’t care how they look. They could choose to eat a bit healthier, get down to the gym for a run a few times a week, etc - but they don’t want to be bothered.</p></li>
<li><p>Regardless of position, some people are simply very high strung, and banking, unfortunately, displays more of these people than many other positions. As a result, these people don’t take vacations, want to stay at the office until 2am daily regardless of deal flow or need, and are generally walking around stressed to the breaking point all the time. These people will age prematurely, will age badly and yes, will look much older than most. Sure, many of them walk around with smiles on their faces because they are making money, but I have seen them at their desks and they are way too stressed. It’s unhealthy, but some people are scared to lose their job, or just don’t know any other way. This business will show you everything from the ultra-laid back to the ultra-wound and everything in between - find yourself and run with it.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I want to emphasize IBanker’s second point. If you make your health a priority (which you MUST do if you want to be in this career for the long-term), staying in shape and being active is easy. Make it a priority to hit the gym three or four times a week for 30 or 45 minutes, even if it means waking up a little bit earlier. But being healthy isn’t necessarily about hitting the weights or running on the treadmill - it’s about the small day-to-day choices we make. After all, when you’re ordering from Seamless, why go for the triple bacon cheeseburger with extra large fries when you can get grilled chicken and steamed veggies? Wise quote: “Banking doesn’t make people fat. Maintaining an unhealthy lifestyle on top of long hours makes people fat.”</p>