So You Want to Be an Investment Banker?

A lot of people want to become Investment Bankers. Just the name sounds cool and romantic, right? Guys want to become them and girls want to marry them or vice versa.1T6-323 They want to live the life of high Finance, making deals worth billions of dollars, going out and partying every night only to wake up again and repeat. They want to work in a high paced environment, working 80-100 hours a week and then drive to their mansions in the hills in their sports cars. They want to have supermodel girlfriends who will spend their money and give them recognition amongst their coworkers and strangers alike. But what is the downside of all this?
I was a Finance professional with a Masters degree in Analytical Finance and I was all set to join this rat race. I got a job as a young analyst at a small but prosperous Investment Bank and was all set to join in the world of High Finance where Champagne flowed like water. So here is the reality. First of all let me say that most people who say they want to be Investment Bankers don't really know what that means.
Your journey will begin as a lowly analyst and MS Excel will be your best friend. You will work very long hours1T6-520 and you will suffer the abuse of your bosses. Then when you nervous system is just about to break down, you will get promoted. Then, the real action starts - you will continue to work as an associate and then a vice president. During this journey, you will most likely suffer from many chemical addictions, have ulcers and heart problems and other stress related issues but you will make a whole lot of money.
So what is so bad about that? If you can't stand the heat then get out of the fire, right? Well! You know all that money you and your colleagues made? It didn't come from thin air. It is well known that Investment Bankers get paid more than they are really worth.
To take a company public, you buy their shares and then sell them on the open market. The difference is your profit. Even if you are doing it completely honestly,1T6-530 for you to make any money, you must undervalue the true worth of the company initially. This costs jobs! So every single extra dollar you make comes out of the pension accounts of many blue collar workers. If you are dishonest, then you can expect to steal from hospitals and orphanages as well. That is what I learned in the recent financial meltdown and that is why I quit.