Advice Please! Path to Private Equity - Starting from Valuation Advisory

Currently working as a senior analyst in Valuation Advisory at a boutique investment bank. My ultimate goal is to work in private equity and I am considering whether it would be most optimal to either go get an MBA, try to lateral to a traditional 2-year IB analyst program at a MM firm, or try to jump into an analyst position at a lower middle market private equity firm.

My Background:
B.S. in Computer Science from a non-target university in California
Past CFA level one senior year of college (helped me get interviews, but do not plan on pursing level two or three)
Two years of experience of Valuation Advisory – promoted to senior analyst after first year
GMAT score: 740
I have been thinking about applying to b schools in the next few months for Fall 2020, but have been thinking a lot about working for another two years either in a traditional IB analyst or PE analyst role. My target schools would be top 15 programs. But maybe if I have another two years of work experience, M7 programs may be possible.

If my ultimate goal is to work in private equity, would taking two extra years to work in IB or PE be the best use of my time? If so, IB or PE?
I know it can be difficult to switch to the buy-side after you are a post-MBA IB associate and if I don’t have any PE experience pre-MBA, I would imagine it would be immensely more difficult.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

 

Odio quia quis autem aut temporibus ea quam. Amet facilis omnis qui. Inventore voluptatem dolorum voluptatem minima animi qui cupiditate.

Occaecati ut sequi provident corrupti recusandae aspernatur. Hic eum ducimus odit debitis. In dignissimos placeat dolorem vero. Est tempora voluptatibus nobis cumque dolor corporis nesciunt dolor. Ipsum quo ut eum maxime.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 99.0%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (22) $569
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (91) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (206) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (389) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (29) $154
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (316) $59
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”