"The Goldman Sachs Culture"

But these rewards come at a price: There is no partnership without face time. Doing a good job will get you nowhere. Doing a superb job will get you noticed, but unless a managing director is willing to continue to put in hefty hours at the office and commit to a travel schedule that includes missing more than a few bedtime stories and regularly spending Sunday evenings heading out to Kennedy Airport, a partnership may be just beyond reach. The seven day work week 10-12 hours a day and maybe even holidays. Success comes at a price, you trade it for time. Time with you family, wife and friends. Eventhough you barely have to shower, shit and shave nevermind because you work for Goldman Sachs.

A few observations on getting to the top: You will be immersed in one of the world's most competitive environments, placed in a head-to-head contest with those around you; and while you must win this competition, nothing will derail you faster than not being a team player. You must make your accomplishments well known to the partner you work for, the partnership committee, and the management committee, while never once bragging. You must want success so badly you can taste it, but never dare to look overly ambitious. You must make the time, real time, to advise and guide those coming up behind you, even if you feel you barely have a minute to breathe. You must pretend not to notice that, although you work for the most valuable securities firm ever, the furniture is battered, the carpets are worn, and little about the décor has been updated in a quarter of a century. You will become wealthy beyond your wildest dreams, but you must not be seen using this money in a flashy or ostentatious manner (Lisa Endlich,Forbes.com).