What Different Avenues Exist For Someone Interested in Fixed Income Investing?

Hey All, I've been fascinated by credit markets for a while now, and will be starting out in an IB coverage group that does a lot of private placement debt deals. I would love if someone in the industry could give me a brief overview of some of the pros/cons of different buy-side roles focused on fixed income. Specifically, I am curious about what types of roles are most illustrious; working for a mutual fund sponsor like PIMCO/Blackrock/Fidelity, the AM arm of a life insurance co, an opportunistic credit fund at a company like New Mountain/KKR? 

Just curious how people rank the opportunities listed above in terms of interesting work and compensation. Additionally, would working in IB coverage be a good start to ultimately get to a fixed-income buy-side role, assuming you have a lot of experience in subordinate debt and senior debt underwritings?