Climbing Wall Street's ranks as a dealmaker is no easy feat. Yes, you need math chops and spreadsheet-modeling wizardry. You also need to tolerate, if not relish, working long hours to close the job. Second place is a set of steak knives, remember. But that alone won't get you far. The business is all about building relationships and navigating personalities — those of your clients and of your firm. These skills are more nebulous and can take many years to cultivate. That's why it's such an impressive feat to be sourcing and executing serious investment-banking transactions in your early 30s.