Also called: MD, Senior Banker
A senior banker who wins big clients and advises CEOs on buying, selling and raising money for companies.
You fly to Dallas to pitch a company's board on why now is the time to sell, have dinner with a private equity buyer and call a CEO to talk him through a nervous moment in negotiations.
BLS groups investment bankers with securities sales agents (median ~$78k), which hides Wall Street pay; figures here are typical total pay (salary plus bonus) at major banks. MD pay is heavily bonus-based and can range from ~$500k in a slow year to several million in a strong one.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 16 years after high school. Bachelor's plus 12-15+ years of banking; many have an MBA.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Finance, Economics, Business Administration (MBA).
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). Few people reach this level.
Low risk for 10 years. CEOs hire bankers they trust for life-changing deals; AI speeds the prep, but relationships and negotiation stay human.
Classes: Speech, AP Macroeconomics, Accounting, Debate.
Official data: O*NET occupation 41-3031.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.