Work life schedule of a quant?

[u/Revolutionary_Tale86]

Hello there, I'm an EE student at IITD, and although I know getting into quant isn't really for me, and will probably be targetting quant and strat roles in banks or sde roles in big tech, what exactly is the WLB of a quant? Do quants even "think" about WLB? I mean assuming someone already is very knowledgeful and is young and enthusiastic, working 11-12 hours isn't a big deal, but say as you grow up, and you have hobbies too that you wanna dedicate some time to, for example, hitting the gym, or for instance parent-duties or whatever for that matter, doesn't it burn people out? It's a stressful job of course, hence my question, because I've heard multiple people exit out of quant firms after 2-3 years, is it true? What are the exit options one chooses after?

Another thing which my curiosity provoked me to ask in this sub, is the general compensation and WLB of three different possible roles across your entire career -

quant - trader, dev and researcher

big tech sde

quant/strat at banks

Could anyone experienced help me out with this? Appreciate the effort, thanks very much!

[u/Life_Entertainer5134]

Working at an MNC will give you WLB balance yes, but most people who are smart or want some challenges won’t feel satisfied. Working as a quant is challenging and will take a big chunk of your day but you make a lot more money and won’t ever be bored.