Jammin' Like Crazy at Goldman

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Luckily, this one requires less involvement on my part, but I need to understand the financial assumptions being discussed to create my next analysis.

4:00 p.m. -- In desperate need of a coffee break, I grab a few coworkers and head to the nearest Starbucks for a venti latte with an extra shot of espresso. We use the break to re-energize and catch up on how the weekend was -- the parts not spent in the office.

4:30 p.m.-- Back at the office, I hammer out the revised analysis from the 2:30 conference call. After running some ideas past my associate, I continue "jammin'" -- banker lingo for working so fast the keyboard smokes. This is necessary to meet the 5:30 deadline for redistributing my analysis to the internal team.

5:30 p.m. -- I hit "send" and breathe a sigh of relief. I've bought myself a few hours before the team comes back with what should be the last round of feedback.

6:00 p.m. -- I break out my notes from the 3:00 call and open a blank workbook in Excel. I'm about to embark on the daunting task of creating a new analysis. There are so many things I want to accomplish and so many scenarios to build in. It's a little overwhelming at first, but I know what needs to be accomplished, so I throw on my iPod and start creating a financial model that evaluates a leveraged buyout of a private managed care company. Models can take days or even weeks to complete.

7:30 p.m. -- I take a break and order dinner from "Dining at my Desk," our online food-delivery system. If I'm at work past 7:00 p.m., I'm allowed to spend $25 on dinner. There are more than 80 restaurants to choose from in the system, yet I somehow manage to order from the same 10 to 15 places every time. Often in my group, we have family-style dinners, where we order together and eat in the conference room. This is a welcome break from the work day, which is still far from over.

8:30 p.m. -- I ask around to see if anyone wants to go the gym. Using the company gym close to my building is affordable ($34 per month), especially in New York terms where memberships usually range from $80 to $100 per month. Going for a nice run and spending some time in the steam room reenergizes me for the long night ahead.

10:00 p.m. -- I return from the gym with an urgent voice mail describing some last-minute changes to the book we're preparing for tomorrow's meeting with the client. I take some notes and begin to quickly "turn the comments" -- banker lingo for making changes.

11:00 p.m. -- I think I have successfully made all the changes. I shoot a copy to my associate, who does a quick final review before we send it to the Production Center, where they print and bind the books.

11:15 p.m. -- I reopen the Excel model I left unfinished earlier, throw on my tunes, and continue building the analysis.

12:15 a.m. -- I get a call from Production letting me know my books are ready. I run up to get them and start "flipping the books." It's the usual process of turning each book page by page to make sure no pages are missing and no printing errors have occurred.

12:45 a.m. -- The books are flipped and I sit down at my desk to collect my thoughts before the meeting tomorrow. Because it's my job to know where all the numbers come from, I print out tons of backup materials in case I need to reference something during the meeting. I mark up my copy of the presentation with notes for easy reference.

1:30 a.m. -- I finally wrap things up and call for a car to take me home. I need to snag a few hours of sleep before catching a 9:00 a.m. flight to the client's headquarters. Although my speaking role is minimal in the meeting, I have the satisfaction of knowing most of the material used is my work.

2:00 a.m. -- I jump into bed and set my three alarms. I have to be up on time because tomorrow will be even busier than today.

It can be difficult to break into this industry, but one essential is demonstrating an interest. That can be accomplished through researching, taking relevant classes, and more importantly, networking. Investment banking in particular doesn't require an undergraduate business degree, but I feel my education applies directly to my daily work. I certainly could have benefited from more finance classes focused on theory and corporate strategy.

Overall, my job requires stamina and a passion for working with extremely talented individuals. The unparalleled learning experience and exposure to executive decision-making processes keep me motivated. At the end of the day, it's important to realize that I'm not going to be an analyst for life. These two years will be tough, but I know they help establish a platform that will take me where I want to be in the future.