Didn't get any IBD offers. Should I try Commercial Banking or Private Banking?

Because my background wasn't competitive enough, I got very few interviews for IBD full time positions, and didn't get any offers. I plan to apply for either commercial banking or private banking positions, work for a few years, apply for MBA programs, and then try for IBD again then.

So is commercial banking or private banking a better choice for me currently in terms of (1. availability of job openings 2. perception to MBA adcoms and 3. perception to IBD recruiters)?

Thanks!

 
Best Response

With all due respect, this is absolute insanity. Why on Earth would you slave away for three to four years in commercial banking or private banking just to get into a top MBA, then slave away two years and go $100,000+ in debt at said MBA just to break into IB, and then break into IB only to realize that you are trapped because while the work is mind-numbing, you need the paycheck to pay off your student loans?

My suggestion would be to start cold emailing boutique IBs. Commercial banking and private banking might carry similar skillsets to IB, but they are still not an exact match. While a boutique IB is not as prestigious as a larger bank, the skillset is directly transferable. After a year of work, it will be relatively simple to lateral from a boutique IB to a larger IB.

 

My recommendation would be private banking at face value, but I would need to know at lot more about the positions you are pursuing in each of the fields. Can you elaborate?

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