The Benefits of Becoming an Investment Banker

If you are currently attending college and pursuing a business degree and are not quite sure what you want to do with it, you may want to consider going for a couple of extra years, getting an MBA, and becoming an investment banker. If you are great with numbers and want to have a prime opportunity to take that degree to the next level, investment banking may very well be for you. Here are just a few of the benefits of this career.

Mandatory Vacations

That's right, taking a vacation each year is required when you are an investment banker. The practice is generally known as mandatory block leave and lasts for two weeks every year. Better yet, unlike other business people who are still leashed to their mobile device and receive phone calls, texts, and emails while on vacation, this is forbidden when you are vacationing. You are forced to completely unplug from the work environment. Not a bad benefit if you ask us.
 

The Skills Are Adaptable

If you decide you do not want to be an investment banker your entire life, or something else catches your fancy and you decide you want to pursue other career options, the skills you have learned while becoming an investment banker are very adaptable. You can use them in virtually any other industry simply because you will have great knowledge of how companies actually work. Many former investment bankers make the choice to start their own companies and their experience gives them a leg up on the competition.

Easy to Pay for Education

A finance degree can be paid for with student loans so you can continue to build skills while in school and not have to worry about the cost of tuition until after graduation. So you can know what to expect, you can use a student loan calculator to see what your payment will be in order to fit into your budget, hopefully landing your first position with a high-paying salary.

Long Hours Aren't Necessarily Bad

While it's true that young investment bankers work an incredible amount of hours, this may not be a bad thing if you are looking to advance very quickly in your career. It is not unheard of for people in their 30's to be promoted to the head of their division and left in control of hundreds of millions of dollars. There aren't any other industries where that is going to happen.

Make Time for Gardening

Not gardening in the sense of growing vegetables or flowers, gardening as it is referred to in the banking industry. This is another incredible benefit you can enjoy. If you move on to another bank, you may be required to a few months off between jobs. This time off could be paid for by your former employer. This is done so that you cannot take any proprietary information with you when you leave that has not yet been made public. You can use the time in any way that you choose, just as long as you are not working as an investment banker.