This is the title of a post by Bethany McLean, a
former Goldman analyst turned journalist. She says that job gave her a
wonderful start in her professional career as it taught her some useful lessons
– for example, to always pay attention to detail. There was a downside, though.
McLean has the following confession to make: “Today, when my fellow analysts with whom I’m
still in touch bring up things that happened, or people we worked with, I’m too
embarrassed to admit that I often draw a total blank. I think I have
post-traumatic stress disorder.” This sentence drew much fire in
the comments below – with some US veterans criticizing McLean for her casual
use of such a serious diagnosis.
I suspect, however, McLean might have a point. Perhaps
the work young financial analysts perform could, indeed, cause some brain
damage – though more subtle than that suffered by combat troops.
