<p>I've been reading around the threads and some articles out on the web, and they all say the lifestyle sucks for investment bankers. They work 100 hours a week + and pull all nighters. What exactly for?</p>
<p>I understand they deal with the markets, but this is getting extreme. There's a 168 hours in a week, and a 100 of them is devoted to the profession? This smells like b.s. for some reason. If you split that into 5 days (considering markets run mon-fri.), you're working roughly 20 hours a goddamn day. </p>
<p>from what I've read, investment banking analysts do loads of grunt work and yeah, it basically sucks to be an analyst--but it gets better from associates and beyond</p>
<p>Well, you don't exactly go into investment banking for its awesome lifestyle. If you want a great lifestyle, go become a pilot and get certified for a 777, 747 or some other big jumbo jet. Make $200k/yr, work 80hrs PER MONTH.</p>
<p>I'm just curious as to how its possible to work that many hours in a 5 day course?</p>
<p>My mom works two jobs, that level around 5 hours of sleep...but it's all physical. Really no mental strain aside from sleeping, which she can pull of easily. If it was mental, that'd be something else and a whole different world. IB is purely mental strain...and it just seems incomprehensible.</p>
<p>The answer is that 100+ hour weeks include work done during a 7-day period -- that's right folks, you will inevitably be working Saturdays and Sundays too as an investment banker.</p>
<p>As sallyawp said, you don't just work five days a week. Also, you do not deal with the market in the same direct way you are thinking of (that is what a trader does). Depending on what type of team you are on, your focus will be on specific companies you are pitching for and other competing companies in the same line of business. You don't just watch the market, you are analyzing financial statements and other information in order to manipulate numbers so that you can pop out a great pitch for whatever the hell you are trying to get a specific company to do. Your hours will depend on deal flow. If you work for a BB in a very active department then you are going to have very long work weeks. If you work for a boutique that caters to a certain client</p>
<p>I believe someone else on this forum once wisely said, "They don't pay you six-figures out of undergraduate school for you to put your hobbies and your social life ahead of work," If one wants to make a lot of money, which many I-bankers want to do, then you have devote a good chunk of time to work.</p>
<p>10-12 hrs/wk is not even that much for a 22 yr old. Come on, even 9-5 is 8 hours a day. Not a big difference....but ibankers work longer than 12 hrs a day usually unless there not on a deal or at a smaller firm or boutique (usually the BBs that work you the hardest). </p>
<p>Also, the hours DO get better as you move up, but not that much better at the associate level.</p>
<p>Sammy was a bit rude, but seriously...how can you expect to work in the finance world, and then "ew" at a 10-12 hour work day (which is EXTREMELY good in this profession)</p>
<p>It's not the entire idea of "ew". It's just very unrealistic. As I said, 168 hours in a week - 100 hours devoted to work, so 68 hours of free time?</p>
<p>Even if you you sleep the recommend 8 hours a night * 7=56, which leaves you with 12 hours for wanking.</p>