“Andy used to want to be in the heat of things, sealing deals and wooing clients, but now he’s destined to be support staff.

Holla back, office?”

-BigLaw, BigSchmaw, The Leveraged Sellout

One of my most frequent questions lately is whether or not it’s a good idea to work in the back office of a bulge bracket investment bank.

I try to give specific, nuanced tips on everything from private equity interviews to investment banking resumes, but my advice on this one is simple:

No.

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After a long absence while I was on vacation over the past few weeks, reader Q&A returns this week with another good set of questions, including perhaps my favorite question ever:

Was it all worth it?

But before we get to that question, let’s look at a few other interesting inquiries I’ve received recently.

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As the end approaches (I’m a few short weeks away from finishing up my investment banking “career”), I keep receiving interesting questions every day. My email volume doubles each week (or at least it seems that way), and while that’s bad for my free time, I could now do endless Q&A columns and never run out of topics.

I have some big plans for Mergers & Inquisitions coming up over the summer and into the fall (amazing what an extra 80-100 hours of free time each week allows you to do), so stay tuned for announcements soon. In the meantime, let’s proceed to this week’s edition of reader Q&A.

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What is Investment Banking?: Ari Gold: What Bankers Actually Do, Why NOT Do Investment Banking

Investment Banking Lifestyle: A Day in the Life - Worst Day and Best Day, How to Stay Fit, Investment Banking Wardrobe for Men, Investment Banking Lingo Part 1 and Part 2, A Week in the Life (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday)

Breaking into Finance: How to Get an Investment Banking Job, Networking into Investment Banking, Recruiting in a Tough Market, Breaking in from Engineering, Breaking in from Law, Breaking in from the Back Office

Investment Banking Resumes: How to Write an Investment Banking Resume, How Investment Bankers Read Resumes

Investment Banking Interviews: Investment Banking Interview Guide, The Interview Selection Process, How to Close Your Interviews

Summer Internships: Summer Intern Success Guide, How to Dominate Your Summer Internship, Tips from a Former Summer Analyst, What You Do as a Summer Analyst, 10 Summer Internship "Don't's", How Summer Interns Get Full-Time Offers

Investment Banking Salaries: Investment Banking Salaries vs. McDonald's, Why Investment Bankers Make So Much Money, 2008 Analyst Bonuses

Private Equity / Buyside Jobs: Private Equity Resumes, Private Equity Interviews, The Myth of the Buyside Job, Headhunters: Friend or Foe?

Specific Groups: UBS LA, Boutiques, Restructuring, The Back Office

Quitting Finance: The Conference Room: How You Get Fired, The Farewell Email, A Day in the Life of a Former Investment Banker