List of most prestigious AM

Interned at a large asset manager on the investment side and am going into buyside research FT. Some things to note but keep my limited experience in mind:

1. Salary is often backloaded in AM - certain finance roles may offer a higher salary directly out of college. However, in asset management, the long-term comp trajectory is on par or higher with other gigs considering the sustainability/less burnout in AM due to interesting work and better WLB, career analyst potential, PM potential, and less risk of getting fired. Many of the PMs at my shop were out of the office by 5-6pm everyday (including two PMs with long/short strategies).

2. Exit opps - AM is often considered an exit opp due to the above mentioned factors. That said, people from my firm have exited to long/short roles (not tiger cubs but MM is possible), VC, growth, investor relations, CFO at a company covered, corporate strategy, top MBA, etc. Private equity is likely not an option due to the lack of transaction experience in asset management, but people who go into asset management often have a MUCH better WLB/comp ratio than PE guys and (generally speaking) do not have an interest in PE. If you're interested in private equity by chance, simply do not pursue a career in public equities/credit lol.

3. Prestige inside of the industry and outside of the industry are very different, but firms like PIMCO, Wellington, Fidelity, Dodge & Cox, Capital Group, and T. Rowe are usually looked upon highly in active management