Life Balance

yeah, depends on the firm you work at. Some firms require the west coast traders to come in at 4:30 AM. About 5 years ago, the traders at my cmpany were required to come in at 5 AM.

When I was a trading assistant at another firm, they said not to answer phones before 6:30 AM. All of the assistants strolled in at about 6:40 AM. The traders 6:00 AM.

Actually, and I know this won't happen, but can all of you guys shrink down your avatars, esp you rhyme!!! It's really ahrd to make it look like I'm working when there's a pic of someone holding a sign that reads "goatse."

hehehe

You're going to GSB, so odds are you'll end up an one of the those places.

A nice thought but I think you overestimate the strength of the GSB brand.

You would if they flew you first class, put you up in the Phonenician in Phoenix, and shelled out $200K year. 10 years of living out of a briefcase in between airports and you could semi-retire.

A nice thought but I think you overestimate the strength of the GSB brand.[/quote]



Rhyme - Doesn't GSM place lots of people at those elite consulting companies every year?

I sort of see it the same way. Its possible that I will have just turned 27 when I graduate from b-school. If I can land with a top MC firm and enjoy the work and can stick it out for 6-8 years I will have set myself up very well for the future and can be pretty selective about what I want to do going forward.

Yes, it does but I think sometimes people forget that its still competitive to get those jobs.

Youv'e been drinking too much MC koolaid.

You'll fly economy plus, and if there is space, you'll get bumped to business. Otherwise, enjoy cattle class. You wont have a confirmed business seat, and I dont know of any consultants at BAH, Bain, etc that fly first class unless its a logn term assignment in a foreign country - and even then, its usually just business (though confirmed in that case ). In which case, you fly out there and stay out there in corporate housing.

You won't stay at the Phonenician in Pheonix, cause for starters, its a resort on a golf course in Scottsdale, not a hotel in the heart of the business district. You'll stay at a hilton or a marriot. You'll rent a midsize car from hertz, not a convertible S-type jag. You'll eat steak dinners on occasion, but you'll eat order in chinese food and hotel room service overcooked burgers more often. You'll make $120K, not $200K and you'll miss parties and events when your flights get cancelled or delayed.

You'll spend your time learning how to become a jack of all trades and a king of none. You'll know twenty industries a little bit, but not one industry well. You'll learn to be a bullshitter and you'll learn how to use chevrons in powerpoint. You'll live a life at hotels, and you'll see the front desk receptionist more than you see your wife.

MC is not bad stuff, but dont forget reality.

Rhyme,

I've been drinking the Kool Aid, and when I was reading your post above, this is what I saw:

"Bain...fly first class...resort on a golf course...S-type jag...steak dinners...$200K...."


Awesome, just what I wanted to hear!

i like how brand management went from your "no" section to your "possibly yes" section.

i'll pat myself on the back, hopefully i had at least a small iota to do with that. my work here is done!

I heard that brand management companies are not located in major cities. That might be a drag if you're a city boy.

I dont know if I'd agree. Kraft, Pepsi, Colgate, Quaker Oats, - granted, all CPGs, are all in chicago, and there's probably a ton more.. Note also that brand mgmt isnt really a company description - its a job description -

Brand management is just part of marketing, no? So basically any major corporation will have brand managers?

I think what Kidderek means is that you're more likely to find a giant Coca Cola or Hasbro office building situated in an office park ten or twenty minutes outside of a major city than you are to find that company headquarters in the financial district of a bustling metropolis.