[the_watcher]

Last comment: I majored in PoliSci. If I went back and did it all again, I'd recommend consulting (good pay, exposure to a lot of verticals). Banking would be tempting purely for the pay. I may not have worked banking hours, but I didn't come near a banking paycheck (my hours divided by stereotypical banking hours > my salary divided by a standard banking salary). Wall Street pays better than anywhere else for the background of their recruits, and the difference is so stark that unless you are a big firm consultant, the economically smart decision is banking.

That said, I'm happy where I am now, working on growth and customer acquisition at a really cool YC company, where I actually want to work all the time. I wouldn't be here had I chased banking dollars.