Quarter Life Crisis Next Steps (Maybe Corporate Finance)

Maybe I'm just ungrateful or maybe I was overly idealistic about working in Asset Management in general. For some context, I went to a non-target school, played college tennis, and graduated in 3yrs. My first job was with a small IRA as an execution trader. I thought that this opportunity would help me leverage an S&T role at a major bank but I ended up taking a portfolio specialist role at a major asset manager where I was thinking of moving into a PM role over time, however it was for private wealth within the municipal space, and it ended up turning very quickly into an ops/execution role with little development of technical skills or ability to move to a PM role. 

Realizing I excelled talking to advisors on the phone and in meetings, I decided to move into an account associate role working with institutional clients at a large asset manager focusing on fixed income investments for pension funds. I thought the work was going to entail more client meetings and conversations but it's really a lot of attribution, reporting, and ad-hocs that are pure comatose. 

I'm now looking to pivot to corporate finance or work within investment strategies for a state pension/account and struggling to figure out as I have two potential offers. The first, a F50 company where I would get to be on the infrustructure investment team, analyzing rent and purchases of data centers across the country. The second role, an investment team for major state accounts approx $40-80billion in AUM

The issue with the first role, I'm currently making $140k all in and this role would be a steep drop approx. $115k all in compensation and a demotion, whereas the state investment role would be roughly $120k all in (no bonus) and a promotion. I enjoy investments but also would like flexiblity to not be restricted on my personal trading accounts which has been a thing for the last 4 yrs working at major asset managers and would probably be for this state job as well. 

I want to build a technical skillset- I feel like I've been shortchanged in both my roles and unless I want to be highly client facing (which I do not), I don't have a future in the industry as I currently have no modeling skills. 

Take a paycut for a cool role that gives me flexibility on personal investments and I get to learn NPV models and P&L's or move into a more investment strategy role for the state where I feel like I should go when I'm old. 

Being 26, I'm slightly concerned of making this type of move but feel like I'm limited as my technical modeling skills are slim to none at this point. Could anyone help advise me for anyone who may have left asset mangement and either had an amazing experience or has taken a public investments role and has really enjoyed it?

 

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