Of cabbages and kings

I was just looking back on the past 10 years that I have worked in the Investment banking industry. It has its goods and the not so goods..
The 3 main goods are :
1.The opportunity to interact with people who are much smarter/more intellectual than you
2. The green stuff which very few industries can pay in these proportions
3. The international travel opportunities..
While the 3 main "not so goods" are
1. High burn-out due to the stress.. I have seen people collapsing due to the stress
2. Lots of baggage holding ..
3. No career path. You grow in designations but not in the job.. You keep doing the same thing in larger proportions.. Post the first 5 years, there is no intrinsic value addition

This often makes me think of the Lewis Carroll lines.. which I have modified a little

"The time has come the Walrus said,
To think of other things ."

But then.. The green stuff hold you back.. and you keep telling yourself..
Just 3-4 years more and I will retire..
The 3-4 years are a moving target as responsibilities keep growing...

Thinking back, the best years of my life were at the B-School..
Lots of intellectual thinking (atleast that's what I believed it to be), no cares and lots of fun..

On the "fun-scale" its been downhill from there..

Depending on where you are on the career curve.. decide what you want to have 10 years down the line.. and stick to your plan