Im 24. 2 Years experience. Im on 90k. All good so far. The problem is that it comes with 80 hours a week min, to peaks of 110. I tend to work at least one day of every weekend. I am sick of it. Basically I want a stimulating job, where i can aim to be on 200k by 30, and work 8-7. Any suggestions?Thanks

Yip - Go contractingAlso - stop complaining

I'm guessing you work in IBD or PE?If you've managed £90k in MC after 2 years can you elaborate please?

Nooooo it cannot be MC... 90k after 2 years is impossible. Not sure you can do that in IB as well, especially at 24 (which in many cases precludes you from having an MBA)Actually, from your post I can sense that on one hand you haven't got much experience (you do not know what to do), on the other you have quite ambitious/unrealistic expectations (big salary low hours). A word of advice. Get out of whatever you are doing as fast as you can ,and be grateful if you can get a job in industry for half of what you are earning now.where to go...with your exerience cut your salary in half and get a job

Im in IB. 90k for a 3rd year analyst is medium range for BB ( its from 80-110k)8-7 is still 55 hours a week, which is still more than most consulting firms out there. Does anyone have some serious suggestions? Anyone been in this situation before?

Guess it needs to be something where salaries can be high before director type level. Oil?

You are young enough I would say to take a new career direction, be it a move to consulting or something else.If I were you I would think about what I really want to do and devise a clear plan with goals to achieve. If you don't have this then you will drift along.While it may be tough, I would stick at it for a few more years and bank the money. Just think what you could be with a few hundred K in the bank. You could start up a nice lifestyle business anywhere you want. You would be set up for life. Just don't spend it all!

Must be an intriguing business that allows 24 year olds with 2 years experience to be paid 90K !At the same time, I'm sure the frequent trips to Columbia must make it all worth it...

It's perfectly reasonable for a 24 year old with 2 years experience to be on 90k. I have a friend whose at Lehman, earnt 72k after his first year inc. bonus. However If you want to get out and do a job with less hours you are clearly going to have to take a significant pay cut, be it consult, industry or whatever.

"On 90K" usually means your basic salary. Otherwise why not include travel allowance, pension and medical as well and call it a cool 6 figures ?Bonuses are just that and not necessarily paid if the company doesn't do well. I know of no legitimate business that can afford to pay people of 2 years experience that sort of money.

Then you have no idea of the world of finance. Any kind of investment banking ( m&a, DCM, securitisations etc) will pay those figures. Trading can even greatly surpass them. Graduates in hedge funds can clear 7 figures after thier phd ( allbeit there are probably 100 of them in the world). No 'legitimate business'. You must be joking, or winding me up, right?

Come on Admon - you're intelligent enough to get a job in an IB - did you think at 24 with 90K they wouldn't want their pound of flesh?It does irritate me somewhat to see these sorts of posts. But you do warrant an answer - and I really think you need to consider that there is more to life than money.I work for a leading consultancy firm - I am in a different country every week and I frequently work 80 hour weeks plus. At the moment I am 35K, but because I enjoy my work, I am fulfilled. So my suggestion would be to look for a job which fulfills you. If you find that, the compensation will be much more insignificant.But only you can find this out?? eh??

I'm afraid in the current market, 90k after two years is very possible. If you are very good at your job it can be a lot more.For example i know someone in fixed income trading (2nd year analyst) whose basic was 75k, but with bonus up to 130k.Similarly, a derivatives structurer, also 2nd year, but at a relatively unknown bank, is making close to 250k after his 2nd year...

You guys blow me away !!!! Wow !!90 K and 125 K for 24 year olds !!! What is the world coming to ?You just know something, somewhere is not right...don't ask me what, But it just does not feel right...Even if it is right, and it is sustainable,I really do feel bad for the bloke who is earning 100K+ at 24....If there is anything such as Golden Handcuffs this would be it.....Let me put it to you this way....You are stuck there forever,If you leave you will never make the kind of money you could have made by staying......And you will always look back and wonder - What If ?Do I feel sorry for you or do I feel jealous of you.... I cant tell....

I'm afraid this is just a symptom of the current financial sector awash in cheap liquidity. One only has to look at the juggernaut of private equity money steamrolling all before it and the excesses in hedge funds to predict that it is bound to end in tears. Is it a full fledged bubble ? Who knows... but you're right ultimately we will mean revert and there will be blood on the streets at some stage. The FS sector is fairly predictable that way.. you get boom periods when you must cash in. In a bust, it can be the most unstable and brutal of sectors. There are many stories of so called uber traders who 'blew up' and lost everything.

In fact this is a pretty convincing reason to take a short position on a basket of IB stocks ( GS, Lehman ) etc. I shall probably be buying 2 year LEAPS puts ...The market is the great at correcting excess and what I can read on the board does sound like excess to me - brings back memories of 1999 with the internet billionaires at 23.. that party didn't last very long.

Admon,Admire your choice for IB, I still don't have the courage to step in that world. Anyway, have you considered internal work in a IB? (operation/executive office)? I've heard they work generally around 8-7, didn't get as much bounes as the trader, but still much better than other places(industry, consulting), and you might have a chance to climb high.Well, just a thought from an outsider, good luck.