WSO Weekly Wrap-up

November 22, 2025

Hey WSO Monkey,

Thanksgiving’s around the corner, but the forum’s still very much alive… people debating quitting PE with nothing lined up, buying businesses instead of staying on Wall Street, and whether MF summer roles are actually worth it. Add in the mix takes on Gen Z, IQ vs. wealth, and MBA recruiting toxicity, and you’ve got plenty to skim next time you’re between tasks.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. Quitting With Nothing Lined Up - "I am only a few months into my PE associate stint, and it is absolutely miserable. I have no time to do anything except work, and this isn’t an exaggeration. I don’t see friends, I don’t talk to my family, I don’t work out, and I have no hobbies. Work takes every single minute of my life, 7 days a week. I sleep about 4-5 hours a day, and it has gotten to the point where it takes a Herculean effort to even get out of bed in the mornings. This has been the case ever since I started, so a few months now, with no end in sight. Without doxxing myself, I think I just got quite unlucky with the exact firm, sector, team combination that I happened to join, and if I had to guess, I would say that I’m in the top 0.5% percentile of sweatiest groups in all of PE. It has gotten to the point where I am starting to miss my banking days, which is saying something because I was on a very sweaty team back then too. To put things simply, I have come to the conclusion that I need to quit as soon as possible. But in this endeavor, I have no clue where to start..."

  2. If You’re 25 & Younger, Please Comment - "I'm trying to better understand the next generation but without any social media or friends in the sub 25 category (apart from sparring partners), I've got zero exposure. I'm curious to how you all think and what misconceptions my generation (older millennial) & older may be making. I'll be hiring from your generation as well as cultivating you as clients in the future, so admittedly this is selfish..."

  3. I Left Wall St to Buy a Business. It Was the Hardest Year of My Life - "Regardless, safe to say, I learned quite a bit since my days in the analyst bullpen. One thing’s for sure, buying a business taught me what freedom really costs, none of which has monetary value. Freedom is found in who you become when you commit to something. It’s the compounding effect of obsession. Freedom doesn’t have to be a one-track path either. Maybe the business works out, maybe it doesn’t. The endless pursuit of financial independence is what drives me. There’s a Vince Lombardi quote that says, “there’s no such thing as perfection. But, in striving for perfection, we can achieve excellence.” Taking the liberty to modify the tail end of the Lombardi quote and apply it to my own situation: in striving for a private jet, we can achieve financial freedom."

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Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. MF Summer Analyst Roles, Pros and Cons? - "Solid opportunity if you really want to skip banking, but the IB ASOs tend to come in far ahead of people who do their analyst years in PE. Hence why a few of the MFs have canceled their AN programs - they found they were better off letting someone do the training and just bring people in at associate. If you want to do banking FT you're best off doing it junior summer too. A MF will get you in the door but like 95% of FT spots are taken by interns, you're picking at scraps for FT recruiting even if you're a great candidate."

  2. Has the IQ-Wealth Relationship Completely Changed in the Last 20 Years? - "I think your best bet is to find some studies that survey IQs among wealthy people and find another study more recent to discover any changes. To put a blanket statement out there like the top 1% richest people have a top 1% IQ would likely be data you never find. I for one don't think that statement is true."

  3. MBA Investment Banking Recruiting Toxicity - "Currently recruiting for summer associate from MBA, didn't have a prestigous background so really grateful to be here but people are just so toxic. It feels like a huge internal competition and zero sum game. Our banking club isn't great at supporting this either so it feels like im just navigating this on my own and lack resources compared to perhaps other schools or people who have friends in banking..."

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • Boston College to Strategic Advisory | Chat with Rohan Ramesh

  • Colby to Associate in Consulting at BCG | Chat with Luis

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All in Eastern Standard Time

Stay Strong,
Patrick Curtis
CEO and Founder, WallStreetOasis.com

WSO Mobile App: iOS | Android

PS - We're also always looking to add resume reviewers and WSO Mentors to our team. Set your own pay (from $40/hr to up to $400/hr) to increase or decrease mentee flow. To submit an application, go here.

PPS - Think you have an interesting story? Want to share it with our podcast listeners? Hit reply and let me know!




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