Best Route to a fundamentally driven HF in Londob: IB vs AM?

Hello, I am a money-driven student who also has a genuine passion for investing. My long term ambition is to become a PM at a hedge fund and eventually starting one (very brave, I know). I am trying to weight different offers. I have received an offer from a large AM in London for a rotation 6-months program, mainly in equities and Credit. I am leaning towards equities as my main interest. I have also gotten a full-time offer in M&A from a solid BB (Credit Suisse/Citi/BAML) and interviews coming up with GS/MS/JPM.

I have always wanted to be an investor and this leads me to go for the AM gig. However, given the shift to passive and the opinions I heard, I am scared that one cannot truly make it big when starting in asset management, I am passionate about investing but would want to earn ps1-3m+ in my late 30s and 40s. Can one do that by being a top performer in AM? And just as importantly, how easy is it to move to an HF if one is a good equity/credit analyst? Should I choose M&A over AM?

I know starting salaries for AM are slightly less than IB, but how about salaries 5-10 years in? How about total comp once you make it to PM? Does it rival that of M&A MDs?

Given my objective to make it big as a HF PM, should I start off at a reputable AM or in M&A?

Thank you all!

 
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