<p>So, I've read about the horrific hours and time you must put into your job as an ibanker, up to or more than 100 hours a week. my question is how long does this last?
I would hope it would reduce to a less drastic number after 2-3 years? or is this not the case?
thanks!</p>
<p>Low level I bankers usually work 100 hours a week. After two years, your hours may be 80 and it doesn’t decline too much from here. 12-14 hours a day M-F are normal plus some weekends too.</p>
<p>If you are not working those hours, you should be worried, since you are not producing. Sorry, no free lunches.</p>
<p>I have heard 60 (on a low week) through 120 (at a very intense boutique firm during the hectic weeks) as an analyst.</p>
<p>thanks for replying</p>
<p>In my opinion, if you want to make a lot of money, you’re going to have to put in hours…a lot of them. If you want to work less (which is perfectly fine), then you probably have to take a pay cut. Otherwise, even if you work 80 hrs on the clock, with more senior positions there is more stress during and after those 80 hours on the clock, so stress doesn’t diminish at all. If you want something that pays well and is slightly less intense, try S&T or consulting (if you can hack it with MBB…good luck with that), although S&T is very intense during those 60 hours you work and very sink or swim as a culture.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to work a lot, I’d say work in banking for 2-3 years, don’t go crazy with spending and getting absorbed in the i-banking “lifestyle” (i.e. buying an Armani suit since its “required for your job”), get an MBA, do something less stressful and let your savings compensate slightly for your drop in income.</p>
<p>Not an I-Banker but I just registered my company as an investment advisor. I’ve been putting in 60 hours a week for my company, 20 hours on part time work (income and capital) because I wasn’t allowed sell anything until I got approved, and about 10 hours for my MBA studies. </p>
<p>The 60 hours a week consisted of working on registration and compliance work, budgeting and planning. Writing contracts, forms, and disclosures. Working out processes, contracting vendors, IT stuff for operations and marketing, and planning marketing campaigns, networking events, and investor education programs. I also worked on portfolio templates and investment modeling experiments and, most important, my sales pitch. Gotta make it rain now that the easy stuff is over</p>
<p>When I hire associates I definitely don’t expect to hear them btch about working a few extra hours. ;)</p>
<p>I’m also preparing a PPM for this fall and planning a road show for next year. I do VC for international trade. I’m on the verge of a contract to originate portfolio companies for a major trade finance VC. When that happens I can definitely see putting in hard work time but it will ease up as I hire assistants and analysts and maybe allow and associate or two to buy in.</p>
<p>There are only 168 hour per week. So you do the math.</p>