Survival

Prioritize sleep whenever possible, maintain some form of exercise even if brief, and eat regular meals. The banks that perform best over time are the ones whose analysts stay healthy. Small habits compound: a 20-minute workout and consistent sleep schedule make a significant difference.

The learning curve is steep in the first three to six months. Common challenges include managing multiple workstreams, performing under extreme time pressure, navigating team dynamics, and adjusting to the lifestyle. The difficulty decreases as your technical skills and efficiency improve.

A slow start is not career-ending. Identify specific areas for improvement, seek feedback proactively, and demonstrate visible effort. Many top-performing analysts had rough beginnings. What matters is the trajectory: showing consistent improvement earns respect from senior bankers.

Common exits include private equity, hedge funds, growth equity, venture capital, corporate development, and business school. The exit you target should inform how you spend your two years: PE-bound analysts should gain M&A and LBO experience, while HF-bound analysts should develop sector expertise.

Top analysts prioritize ruthlessly, communicate proactively with their deal teams about capacity, batch similar tasks together, and build efficient workflows for recurring deliverables. They also know when to ask for help rather than spinning their wheels on unfamiliar tasks.