Still, if you love finance, there are places for you to work and make serious money.
Business Insider spoke to recruiters Jesse Marrus founder of StreetID and Skiddy von Stade, CEO of OneWire to get a sense of where people really want to work.
Some people like these shops because they know they'll get compensated well (Jefferies), others like a more independant, hands-on environment. In some cases (like Silver Lake) people are interested in specific sectors.
Regardless, these firms are getting people's attention and attracting top talent — they're winning.
"Anytime you have change, be it due to law or the economy, people are extremely creative and see how they can profit from other people's demise," said von Stade told Business Insider.
Like Carl Icahn told Bill Ackman, "if you want a friend on Wall Street, get a dog."