[dba7dba]

> However, what large financial institutions need are people who are extremely assiduous to small details, have a work ethic in which 7am-11pm hours creating powerpoints are no big deal (and have good sounding qualifications to impress investors).

The problem is Wall Street is sweeping up a THIRD of Ivy league graduates. This no doubt causes harm to US economy. Can you imagine what a young really bright scientist/engineer can do putting in 120hr/week at a stretch? They probably couldn't produce something amazing soon but learn enough skill that they can be producing something that really adds value to the society. But that's not happening because Wall Street sweeps up so many.

[austinz]

A "young really bright scientist/engineer putting in 120/hr weeks at a stretch" is a recipe for mental illness, low-quality output, and burnout.

[eli_gottlieb]

That doesn't mean it isn't normal for the early stages of a STEM career (grad school, post-doc, pre-tenure professorship) to demand such work-ethic.