Work-Life Balance in Finance

[IsThereAny]

@Would_You_Look_at_Th

^it’s damn good money, but it’s hard to enjoy it when you work 2600+ hours per year.

It would be hard to enjoy $250k working 50 hours/week? Then again I don’t know the magnitude of that “+”…

[Would_You_Look_at_Th]

You’re right about the 50 hours… i forgot to mention that the 2600+ hours are billable (to clients) hours. There’s unbillable hours that usually take up 5-8 hours for them per week as well. The magnitude of the “+” was over 2900 billable hours last year.

[woodywoodford]

@H_P_Flashman

@geo

I agree with the traders having the best setup hours wise, and stress wise really if you can detach from the game (or us corporate guys, we’ve got it good too). Most of the traders I worked with when I was running the treasury show were in the office at 7am EST and done by 4pm EST. And they all made good coin (at least their cars + lifestyle indicated they did, but perhaps they didn’t). No weekends. Solid vacation as they have guys that rotate through to cover off your desk.

I actually considered it as a career move and had the opportunity offered to me to trade bonds from Vancouver at one point. But I hate Vancouver as a live in city and the hours there are absurd (3 to 4am starts on the west coast). The fact I (as someone that hates the idea of working more than 40 hours or having less than 6 weeks vacation) considered it means it must have decent balance.

I’ve been curious about those West Coast jobs pegged to Wall Street hours. I know people are supposed to get into PIMCO at an ungodly hour, but how early can they cut out? I actually like the idea of getting to a job at 4am then being done by early afternoon. Easy commute both ways, nice and quiet in the morning, and you can get nonsense done during the week that otherwise would have to wait for the weekend (like a haircut, say).

I suspect at a place like PIMCO though you get in early and leave late. So worst of both worlds.

One research firm I interviewed with back in the required the guys to come in by 4AM. The sales call with the Toronto trading floor was at 4:30, so realistically they’d have to come in earlier if they were saying anything on it. And they’d still be in the office until 6-7pm. I mean, I’m single and enjoy finance, but that’s just too much.

[system]

I need time for hoes in my life. Finance can wait.

[former_trader]

@geo

and stress wise really if you can detach from the game

Never seen that. It’s very stressful as you eat what you kill and you bring your bad days home.

[krazykanuck]

The whole work/life balance is one of the best things about my current job and would be tough to give up. ~25ish days off per year, flexible working hours. I can come in at 7 and be out the door by 4, or do 9-6. Whatever I need or want based on the day. Very rarely do I need to be at work past 6, though sometimes I hang out if traffic is bad or whatever.