My wife was investment labour with our first child, and on the way to the hospital. My MD Philip was an awkward character, but surely the birth of my first born was sufficient excuse to leave early and let the juniors handle the presentation. But make sure you are on the 8am run through tomorrow. I had known if the baby came early it could clash with the pitch. But the realisation that I was being permitted the rest of the afternoon off read more meet my new child before being required back at the coal face, was when dating finally snapped.

By my calculations that would give me about minutes paternity leave. How the fuck had I ended up here? Draped in banker new Next suit and black plastic shoes, with a coveted spot on a graduate training programme at a bulge bracket investment bank, I had made it.

My plans at that point were straight forward. Earn a shitload of cash and find a trophy girlfriend. Those noble goals represented the full extent of my youthful ambition. I had little inkling that I was entering banker modern-day equivalent of the work camp. Where hour weeks were standard, the destruction in your mental and physical health was a sacrifice expected of all new recruits, and you left your ability to form healthy relationships at the door.

And for 5 years I loved it. It was when I wanted investment little more that the problems crept in. Try maintaining a healthy relationship when you never leave the office before midnight.

See how many times you can be forgiven for standing up a date. See how tolerant a new girlfriend will be when you spend a romantic weekend away chained to your work-issue laptop updating a client valuation.

Multiple failed attempts at relationships led me to the conclusion that a junior investment bankers sex life is most similar to a article source criminals.

So if you wanted to get laid, the quicker you realised you had better stick to your grad class, the better. And to stretch the analogy to breaking point, if you could get into a romantic tryst with a VP it was like being in an illicit romance with the prison screw.

Dating an Investment Banker

You could enjoy regular sex with your superior, with the added benefit of protection when work was being handed out. But the price you paid was your fellow grads all hated you it was worth it. Things get better of course. As you rise through the banking hierarchy you are rewarded with dating little more freedom.

Why is it Such a Big Deal?

But each incremental privilege was earned through blood, sweat and tears. The rules of thumb that me and my fellow grads adopted went something like this:. The job is everything. Your family, your lover, your confidante, your idol.

You live and breathe the job.

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If you imagine that you are living in North Korea it can make it more tolerable. Associate years — a romance can be carefully pursued. Stick to colleagues if possible, or associates from other banks. No one else will understand. Children before VP level are frowned upon. If it happens, keep it secret. Romance and marriage are acceptable.

Hell, have a kid if you want. But be back in the office to finish the deck in the morning You want to make MD, right? You can visit web page the bigger bonuses to pay for therapy.

Are things getting better in the industry? Undoubtably yes.

Is It Even Possible to Date an Investment Banker?

Beats me. Click here you'd like to see more from The Secret Investment Banker please do sign up to receive our emails at www. A Guide to Smarter Online Dating. Related posts:.

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