Why is the finance industry so stressful?
Finance companies often have high stakes and intense workloads due to the fast-paced nature of the industry. However, it ultimately depends on the specific role and company culture. It's important to consider your own preferences and strengths when deciding which industry may be more stressful for you.
If you work in an investment banking division (IBD), or pretty much any other sector of financial services, you are likely spend a healthy part of your day dealing with career-related stress. The working hours, the responsibilities, the external pressures to deliver consistent compelling results – they all add up.
Why is financial stress so common? Finances play a significant role in our daily lives, from being able to afford food and housing to achieving our future goals. Financial stress can come from a number of related factors, including paying bills, managing debt and having enough savings.
Investment banking is a demanding and competitive field that can take a toll on your physical and mental health. Long hours, high pressure, and tight deadlines can cause stress, burnout, and anxiety. However, there are ways to cope with these challenges and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Both finance and accounting are technically challenging fields, so which one you find harder depends on your individual interests and strengths. Though there is some overlap between the two fields, finance typically offers a broader scope of work.
Most people have traditionally viewed finance careers as high-cost but high-reward. It's extremely difficult to break in, but once you're in, the compensation and exit opportunities make the initial effort worth it.
- Physician. National average salary: $272,872 per year Primary duties: Physicians or doctors are medical professionals who treat various diseases and injuries. ...
- Nurse. ...
- Soldier. ...
- Patrol officer. ...
- Anesthesiologist. ...
- Chief executive officer. ...
- Lawyer. ...
- Police officer.
A majority, 65%, say they live paycheck to paycheck, according to CNBC and SurveyMonkey's recent Your Money International Financial Security Survey, which polled 498 U.S. adults. That's a slight increase from last year's results, which found that 58% of Americans considered themselves to be living paycheck to paycheck.
Most Americans Are Still Struggling Post COVID-19
Contrarily, the wealthiest 20% of households still maintain cash savings at approximately 8% above pre-pandemic levels. Ultimately, with inflation taken into account, the majority of Americans are worse off financially compared with before the start of the pandemic.
Findings derived from a comprehensive survey conducted by Experian reveal a striking prevalence of financial trauma among Americans, affecting 68% of over 2,000 surveyed adults.
What is the hardest job in finance?
- Investment Banker (M&A or capital markets professional) ...
- Trader. ...
- Risk management & compliance. ...
- Wealth manager/private banker. ...
- Institutional sales. ...
- Management consulting. ...
- Long-only fund manager. ...
- Technology.
A run on deposits (leaving the bank without the cash to pay customer withdrawals). Too many bad loans/assets that fall sharply in value (eroding the bank's capital reserves). A mismatch between what the bank can earn on its assets (primarily loans) and what it has to pay on its liabilities (primarily deposits).
Goldman Sachs is often cited as the hardest investment bank to get into, due to its prestigious reputation, highly competitive hiring process, and rigorous standards for candidates in terms of experience, education, and skills.
The finance industry is famously hard-charging, especially at the junior levels, and you need to show you can handle it and more. Good references are valuable no matter what, but, more importantly, impressing your bosses during an internship can be a great way to open doors for a future full-time job with that company.
Is Finance a Stable Career? Generally, yes. While the sector is known to be quite cyclical—banks and brokerages tend to lay off many people during big recessions—finance skills are in such high demand that qualified professionals will unlikely be out of work very long.
Believe it or not, mastery of advanced math skills is not necessary to have a career in finance. With today's technology, all math-related tasks can be done by computers and calculators.
Cons of getting a finance degree
Long hours: Many finance jobs require long hours, particularly in investment banking and other high-pressure roles. Stressful work environment: The finance industry can be stressful, particularly during economic uncertainty or market volatility.
📈 According to a study by the Myers-Briggs Company, introverts make up 56.8% of financial professionals, while extroverts make up 43.2%. This means that there are plenty of introverted financial professionals out there who have achieved success in their field.
Stressful work environment: High-paying finance positions often come with high stress due to heavy workloads, tight deadlines, and long hours. Keep in mind that a work-life balance may be difficult to maintain, particularly in the early years of your career.
- Surgeons. ...
- Military Personnel. ...
- Firefighters. ...
- Social Workers. ...
- Astronauts. ...
- Special Education Teachers. ...
- Miners. Generally working deep underground or in dust-filled, open mines with precipitous cliffs, miners face some of the harshest working conditions imaginable. ...
- Oil Rig Workers.
What job has the highest burnout rate?
- Teachers and Educators. ...
- Legal Professionals. ...
- Customer Service Representatives. ...
- Information Technology (IT) Workers. ...
- Journalists and Media Personnel. ...
- Financial Professionals. ...
- Retail Workers. ...
- Agricultural Workers.
A Harvard University study found that the loneliest jobs were also the unhappiest. These include remote jobs as well as jobs in tech, food delivery, and the online retail sector. The study was conducted over 85 years. Over 700 people were interviewed.
As of May 2023, more than 1 in 5 Americans have no emergency savings.
12% of *households* have income between $75k and $99,999 and 15.5% are 100K to 150K. 8.3% and 10.3% are above, so about a third of **households** have over $100,000 in income. But that may well mean two wage-earners, or people with more than one source of income.
The Income Breakdown: How Many Americans Earn 6 Figures
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only about 6% of Americans earn an annual salary of $100,000 or more. That amounts to around 8 million households crossing into 6-figure territory.