A different take on the industry:
Spouse works for a mid-sized firm. Hours are long, but not insane. You have to be available at certain points in the transaction. Young analysts are a critical part of every deal, they learn and contribute every day, while building critical thinking, modeling, strategy and negotiation skills. Although large amounts of money are at stake, the best contributors at the firm are service-oriented and don’t have big egos. At the end of the day you are helping someone buy or sell a business which might be their life’s work - the culmination of a dream - and that requires soft skills and emotional intelligence. If at the right firm, investment banking can be lucrative, rewarding and exciting.