MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

Hopefully some of you that have been in the finance industry can help me out here.

What kind of jobs are available to business school grads that dont require working 50+ hrs week?
What kind of salaries do these jobs offer?


Thanks,

RunningSixes

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

I'm a financial analyst (commercial loan underwriter) for a bank. Started around $40K in Albuquerque, with four years prior work experience. 40-hr work week, rare overtime, rare travel, very relaxed environment. Get to see a lot of different types of businesses, real estate investments, Native American deals, etc. Good benefits, three full weeks paid vacation plus floating holidays, 401k contributions matched 100% by company stock after one year. Currently make $50K base salary....got a promotion and raise a few days ago [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

If you have an analytical mind and understand financial statements, ratios, cash flow calculations, various business structures, and pay attention to details, then you can do well as a loan underwriter. At first I was wary of working for a bank...my MBA banking class was mostly about bond portfolios, not credit decisions. Now I love it. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

ScottieK

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

Maybe work for a university endowment office? Friend of mine did that, I think it was close to 40 hrs, but I imagine this varies quite a bit from school to school. Or just teach, obv.

I wish this was getting more answers, I'd also be interested to know the options.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

[ QUOTE ]
I wish this was getting more answers, I'd also be interested to know the options.

[/ QUOTE ]

Heh, maybe there aren't that many business jobs out there that have less than 50 hr work weeks. One finance MBA I know works for an Air Force budget office, setting and monitoring budgets...I can't imagine her work week being more than 50 hrs. Any bank that does commercial lending has a group of analysts like me, and I'm guessing most of them have finance or accounting BBA's at least, if not MBA's. Although my salary is below the average for finance MBA's, salaries in Albuquerque as a group are typically below the national average...and I really don't care about it too much.

Guessing most of the ambitious finance MBA's go to stock brokerages, CPA firms, consulting firms, or maybe even investment banking firms or mutual/hedge funds...but I'm pretty sure those are more than 50 hr/week jobs, and very stressful...but financially rewarding.

ScottieK

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

There is no such thing as a white collar job worth doing that requires less than 50 hours per week. 55 hours a week is the new 40 hours a week.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

[ QUOTE ]
There is no such thing as a white collar job worth doing that requires less than 50 hours per week. 55 hours a week is the new 40 hours a week.

[/ QUOTE ]

What about commercial loan underwriters?

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There is no such thing as a white collar job worth doing that requires less than 50 hours per week. 55 hours a week is the new 40 hours a week.

[/ QUOTE ]

What about commercial loan underwriters?

[/ QUOTE ]

TY. I've done the 50+ hr work weeks at my previous job, with planned and unplanned (but paid) overtime, and short notice travel. And that job was essentially busywork that got shelved by our government client. No thanks.

ScottieK

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

Many Credit Analyst / Underwriter jobs do not require an MBA. I worked as one for two years with a similar benefit structure as ScottieK, and from my personal experience I would not recommenced to someone with a decent MBA. Honestly, I would try looking around http://www.usajobs.opm.gov . Plus, some of jobs that the government needs qualified people for are not always interesting, but they do compensate that with a salary premium. Just a thought to consider.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hopefully some of you that have been in the finance industry can help me out here.

What kind of jobs are available to business school grads that dont require working 50+ hrs week?
What kind of salaries do these jobs offer?


Thanks,

RunningSixes

[/ QUOTE ]

if you find something you love, 60 hrs a week wont feel like work.

Barron

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

[ QUOTE ]

if you find something you love, 60 hrs a week wont feel like work.

Barron

[/ QUOTE ]

But it still may to your wife and kids if applicable.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hopefully some of you that have been in the finance industry can help me out here.

What kind of jobs are available to business school grads that dont require working 50+ hrs week?
What kind of salaries do these jobs offer?


Thanks,

RunningSixes

[/ QUOTE ]

if you find something you love, 60 hrs a week wont feel like work.

Barron

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't buy this at all. Are you telling me that at 11pm on a Saturday night there is nothing you'd rather be doing than looking at bonds and stocks? Come on. Anyone who has a semblance of a balanced life is going to want to see their wife and kids, go sit outside, read a book, etc., enjoy life.

I love poker and music very passionately...if I was forced to sing or play piano 60 hours a week or play 12 hours a day of poker 7 days a week I probably would be miserable.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hopefully some of you that have been in the finance industry can help me out here.

What kind of jobs are available to business school grads that dont require working 50+ hrs week?
What kind of salaries do these jobs offer?


Thanks,

RunningSixes

[/ QUOTE ]

if you find something you love, 60 hrs a week wont feel like work.

Barron

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't buy this at all. Are you telling me that at 11pm on a Saturday night there is nothing you'd rather be doing than looking at bonds and stocks? Come on. Anyone who has a semblance of a balanced life is going to want to see their wife and kids, go sit outside, read a book, etc., enjoy life.

I love poker and music very passionately...if I was forced to sing or play piano 60 hours a week or play 12 hours a day of poker 7 days a week I probably would be miserable.

[/ QUOTE ]

60 hrs a week is 7-7 m-f. if you love what you do, that wont feel like work. from almost any vantage point (other than wanting to see your kids come home from school) that is a balanced life.

Barron

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

So if you have young kids they are probably going to bed around 830-9...add a half an hour commute on to that and you basically leave before your kids get up and see them an hour a day before they go to bed during the week. That doesn't sound particularly balanced to me.

If we don't include young kids, your free time is something like:

60 hours at work
7 hours sleep/night=49 hours

That leaves 41 hours a week (just 25% of your weekly life) to see your family, friends, enjoy hobbies, etc. Does that sound balanced?

I think a lot of people in our culture have been brainwashed that these kind of hours are normal or balanced when the majority of the rest of the world doesn't even work close to the kind of hours we do, takes more vacations and lead far less stressful (and probably happier) lives.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

obv personal, but I strongly disagree that you can lead a particularly balanced life working this many hours and sleeping 8. throw in an hour for commute, an hour for meals and you're talking about your non-working life being 4 hours/day.

my wife worked these hours for years and now only works 8 hours a day, the difference in her lifestyle, health and outside interests is unbelievable.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

If you can´t get your job done in under 40, you are doing something wrong. I rarely work more than 40 hours/wk. Its all about focusing on only the important things. I know some of my peers seem to spend a lot more time at work, but I have no idea what they are doing all day because they get less done than I do.
Stop going to worthless meetings and only focus on doing things that are visible to your boss. Then your hours will drop off.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

i've apparantly made a large and common mistake in responding. i've superimposed my idea of a balanced life at this point in my life-cycle onto those who are at different points.

to me, weekends &amp; a few hrs at night is plenty. personally, i dont need, nor get 8 hrs of sleep a nigh. nowhere close. 6 is fine for me. i get up at 5am, go swimming, and off we go. 11pm bedtime is fine.

my mistake in assuming others are like me.

Barron

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

Being a floor trader, you'll work (many) fewer than 50hrs/wk but it doesn't necessarily require an MBA. The copensation can be much better than the other jobs that have been mentioned.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

[ QUOTE ]
If you can´t get your job done in under 40, you are doing something wrong. I rarely work more than 40 hours/wk. Its all about focusing on only the important things. I know some of my peers seem to spend a lot more time at work, but I have no idea what they are doing all day because they get less done than I do.
Stop going to worthless meetings and only focus on doing things that are visible to your boss. Then your hours will drop off.

[/ QUOTE ]

Amen. Not a single person in my office that works more than 40 hours has a clue what they are doing.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

I don't work in finance but I have one sweet deal...I work shifts for a chemical company. 12 hour days, 4 on and 4 off (i.e. 42 hours a week). I do this seven time (i.e. 8 weeks), then get two weeks off. And 3 weeks extra paid holidays. And 50k a year (I'm 25). Plenty of time for other interests, I'm starting a property development business this year (just made 80K on first development), play poker, run marathons, go four holidays a year. Sweet.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

I have done both....70 hours per week, and zero hours per week (but never 40 hours...that would be weird).

IMO, the best course of action is to commit to big hours and advancement and learning early on, and dial it back later when you can rely on your wisdom and experience as opposed to your sweat equity.

To be frank, IMO few people who worry a lot about how many hours they are going to work WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG AND STARTING OUT become particularly successful, financially or otherwise in their fields.

Flame away.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

[ QUOTE ]

To be frank, IMO few people who worry a lot about how many hours they are going to work WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG AND STARTING OUT become particularly successful, financially or otherwise in their fields.

Flame away.

[/ QUOTE ]

No flames here. Good friends in IB puts in 70-80. I'm an engineer (easy career) and I put in 50-55 plus I go to school.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

Having just said that there are no good jobs out there at 40 hours a week, try contacting one of the rating agencies. Those are "lifestyle" finance jobs.

I dont agree that 70/week is sustainable long term, even if you "love" your work. For anybody over age 30, if you're able to sustain 70 hours/week, there's something seriously deficient in other areas of your life.

Re: MBA finance jobs (<50 hrs / week)
 

I took a job as a loan officer (sales) where I work 40 hours/week, but I'm going back to a public accounting job that I left a year ago where we work 35 hour weeks from May through December. We then work 55 hour weeks from January through April. It's capped at 55 hours, though.

If you can stand public accounting, it's a good gig that will give you plenty of free time outside of work. During work, though, you won't have much time to post on message boards and what not, at least in my experiences.