Which of 3 job offers should I pick?
Investment banking analyst at middle market boutique (base: $90,000)
Finance analyst at a semiconductor company (base: $105,000)
Research associate at a relatively new fund (base: $90,000)
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Need context. Almost everyone here would pick MM Boutique.
Why not the one with the highest salary?
Faster trajectory in terms of comp and role
.
I will not choose that in any circumstances. Finance department in manufacturing company doesn’t get decent bonus. My wild guess will be 6 months at most. And also, who goes to a semiconductor company with an ib offer?
Middle market boutique, without a doubt. Here are the 3 best reasons why:
You'll receive a relatively standardized, and fairly general, education in the world of finance, which will be important for you come interviews for whatever you choose to do afterwards (whether that be buy-side or corporate). In these two other roles, who knows what you will be learning. Certainly, only you. But for anyone trying to hiring you post-banking, if you work in IB they'll at least have some idea of the skillset you've accrued based on the industry group that you'll be working in.
Beginning in IB will keep many more doors open for you than beginning at a semiconductor company or a HF. It will enable you to keep those doors open for a corporate or buy-side exit, but you won't be pigeon-holed. If you start at the "new fund", you may find that it will significantly inhibit your movement to other funds that aren't larger. And you won't be able to go back into IB easily. Whereas, in IB, the doors stay open and you can gladly hop over to a leading HF or PE firm, provided you are qualified and make it through the interviews. If you go to the semiconductor company, god knows what career path you'll have. You could end up at another corporation, or at a PE/HF, but the path is much less clear and way riskier.
Additionally, I think it is very important to recognize that the money that you'll be earning here will be a fraction of your overall income during your lifetime (ideally). Choosing the job at a semiconductor company that pays $15,000 more than the other two options purely because of that delta in pay would be a less than thoughtful decision. Theoretically, you'd want to choose the beginning job that has the largest amount of opportunity for you in the longer term, which I believe, and I am sure many others agree with me on this site, would be the middle-market boutique job. Even though bonuses may be cut this year, if you begin in IB you'll more than make up for it in the later years with whatever jobs that being the IB analyst now allows you to have in the future.
But what if the IB job is not as analytically rigorous as the tasks laid out for the other jobs?
Questions:
Think from these perspectives then you should have an answer for yourself. Let us know your logic and we can comment further
How many years of experience do you have? 105k for a financial analyst (entry-level) is unheard of.
pretty sure op is a troll
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