I’ve been reading a lot of posts here about people burning out as analysts, talking about the hours, the stress, the feeling that you’re sacrificing your entire life for the privilege of maybe getting promoted. And the standard response is usually something like ‘yeah, that’s banking, suck it up’ or ‘it gets better when you make associate.’ But I’m starting to wonder if that’s actually true, or if it’s just what people tell themselves.
I’ve talked to a few people who’ve made it further up the ladder—associates, VPs—and their stories are mixed. Some of them say the hours improve once you’re past analyst, some say they just get reframed (less raw hours but somehow still consuming). A couple have mentioned that they intentionally chose less competitive groups or teams specifically because they didn’t want to burn out completely.
So I’m trying to figure out: what does a sustainable path actually look like in banking? Are there groups or roles that are genuinely less brutal? Or is the whole ‘it gets better’ thing more of a survival narrative people maintain to justify the analyst years? And if you’ve made it past analyst—or if you’ve left—what would you actually tell your younger self about managing the burnout factor when you’re climbing? Is it possible to be ambitious in banking without completely torching yourself?
here’s the truth nobody wants to say: it doesn’t really get better, it just changes shape. as an analyst you’re overworked because you’re junior. as an associate you’re overworked because you’re responsible. as a vp you’re overworked because you have the job. what does change is that u have slightly more control over your schedule and slightly more respectable compensation. but the fundamental hours culture is baked in. some groups are better, but corporate finance is pretty brutal everywhere.
the ones who survive well are usually the ones who don’t fully buy into the ‘live for work’ narrative. they take decent vacations, they protect sleep, they don’t respond to texts at midnight. sounds simple but most people don’t actually do it. burnout is real but partly self-imposed.
this is real. so theres no magic exit from long hours, just better positioning over time. but some ppl do something w protecting their own time which seems possible even in banking
The narrative that ‘it gets better’ requires qualification. The absolute hours do typically decrease post-analyst—not dramatically, but measurably. The more significant shift is autonomy and decision-making influence. However, burnout is less about hours and more about feeling agency and progress. Groups with collaborative senior teams, clear development paths, and leaders who actually value analyst wellbeing generate dramatically lower burnout despite similar workload. I’ve seen groups working identical hours where one team thrives and another hemorrhages people. The variable is culture and mentorship, not inherently the work. If you’re considering banking long-term, the question isn’t whether you can avoid hard work—you can’t. It’s whether you can find a team where that hard work feels purposeful and where leadership actually invests in you as a person, not just a task-doer.
There are definitely people building sustainable banking careers! It’s about finding the right fit, protecting what matters to you personally, and building genuine relationships that make the work feel meaningful. You can absolutely do this!
Research on banking retention shows that analyst burnout tracks less strongly with absolute hours worked and more strongly with three factors: perceived fairness of workload relative to peers, clarity on promotion criteria, and quality of mentorship relationships. Groups in the same division with similar deal flow show dramatically different retention rates based on these softer factors. Additionally, teams with analysts who actually take PTO see better long-term performance metrics than those operating in ‘always-on’ cultures. The hours are real, but sustainable climbs correlate with finding environments where institutional culture supports boundaries, not punishes them.