<p>People need to realize that rankings don’t matter. For example all those business school ranking don’t mean jack because business school graduates should be choosing schools based on recruiting activity instead of rankings. This ranking of companies is essentially in the same league as well.</p>
<p>As for compensation people need to start looking at the upside and not focus on the short term. One of the reason banking is so lucrative is because the upside is huge. For example, a corporate lawyer and an associate ibanker make around the same compensation to start off. But while the compensation increases arithmetically for the corp. lawyer, its geometric for the banker.</p>
<p>Heh well two jobs can indeed make as much as a starting banking analyst but consider this: the upside in banking is in the millions while there is a limit to the amount of jobs one can hold thus a ceiling on the compensation. Such talk makes no sense as it doesn’t look at the expected value of a situation (in purely economical terms).</p>
<p>I’d just like to point out earlier when people always mention money, it’s not always in terms of the biggest house, and the fanciest cars. Sometimes its the freedom of pursuing a hobby like horseback riding, or boating, or art, hobbies that can only be afforded if you can make the money. And yes, you will have to find the healthy balance of having time to pursue these things you love while making the money. For that, money is something wonderful that CAN make these things happen for you.</p>
<p>Life is all about money…money money money money money…although I don’t plan to stay in investment banking forever…</p>
<p>I see one too many divorces in someone’s future. :)</p>
<p>On another note: my 700th post!!!</p>