<p>Is it safe to assume that Managing Directors/VPs still have to work 100+ hours a week on occasion? Or do they typically work a lot less hours per week than Associates/analysts? For those who can actually reach that level of success, will it become easier to balance a home and work life?</p>
<p>The routine day at the office becomes somewhat better. Frequently what may happen is: At the end of the workday, after talking with clients, attending working group meetings,etc, the VP might now be in a position to formulate what work needs to be done for the next day. They might sit down with the associates and analysts and outline what needs to be done, but the VPs might then go home, leaving the junior people to actually do all this work. They might have the junior people send them stuff at home to review.</p>
<p>The VPs with families will then rush to get their train to Connecticut or New Jersey, etc and be home by 8:30 - 9:30. Or at least a half hour earlier than this, if they live in Manhattan, Brooklyn, etc. If it's past a certain hour (I forget what time ) frequently they take a car service home instead of dealing with public transportation.</p>
<p>But what replaces the reduced office time is increased travel. Depending on the job, people might be constantly traveling for meetings and business development initiatives. There is a lot of downtime when you're traveling, and it is not as mentally taxing as producing work in the office. But at the same time you are not home, and in some cases this has family implications.</p>
<p>Even when you are not out of town, you may be out frequently at night for business-related functions and client entertainment. Certainly not all painful, to say the least, but once again you are not actually at home with your family.</p>
<p>Weekends can be a lot better as a routine matter. You might have to go in only one day, to catch up, plan , review work, etc. Or maybe not at all. Because these other people will primarily be the ones sitting there all weekend producing the work you are reviewing.</p>
<p>do VPs or Managing Directors travel more? Also, it seems that if you have what it takes to get to that Managing Director level, then you have a pretty cushy job considering they make $2 million a year, have more flexible hours and start to get weekends off. Or is the job still just as stressful at the MD level as it is at the analyst/associate level.</p>
<p>1) Individual travel demands vary
2) Compensation depends on what you bring in
3)Nobody there would say they have a "cush job"; however as a group they are highly compensated
4) Overall there is more stress. You are responsible for bringing in a certain amount of business, or you are out. You are responsible for client relationships, and clients can be real pricks. You have to deal constantly with political infighting, both to get business and internally to your own firm. Office politics is very draining. You are repsonsible ultimately for the work product of all these junior analysts and associates. And when business drops, heads roll.</p>