Corp Dev to IB

I’m a current Corp Dev analyst at large wealth management firm (Hightower/Creative Planning/Mercer). The job has been amazing so far, especially as my first job out of college, and has great perks but I’ve found that the work isn’t challenging (currently work only ~30 hours/week) and my mobility upwards in the company will be slow with lower comp than I’d like.

Should I transition now to IB if my ultimate goal is PE? Am I pigeonholed to FIG groups? When does FT recruiting typically take place for bulge brackets? Will IBs look positively on my deals (typically sub $100M transactions)?

3 Comments
 

Bruh, I'm literally in the same boat...

Did LMM buy side for one year and got in corp dev for a very siloed industry. Love the work life balance but the team is just too small and the bandwidth is really not good compared to IB.

I've had interviews with PEs, but they ALWAYS picked IB / other PE folks over me who works in infra/P&U. Moving to IB would make sense if your ultimate goal is to get into PE.

To your last question, do you have some flagship deal you can talk about? Does your team deal with bankers often? Advisors would come to our office to pitch and invite us to dinner/sports games so I guess moving across would not be that hard? I also get headhunted quit often so I'm guessing if you work for a reputable company, moving across would not be an issue.

 

Temporibus nostrum illum voluptatum consequuntur et ea reprehenderit. Eveniet occaecati nemo provident reiciendis. Cumque excepturi rerum vitae sint.

Cum tempora eaque qui magni praesentium adipisci et tempora. Voluptatem modi labore omnis et. Qui impedit quo incidunt ab aliquid deserunt. Aut illo dolorem consequatur voluptatem voluptas est. Voluptatem rerum odit itaque dolore est quisquam.

Eum ut quam repudiandae non. Reiciendis sapiente ut porro fugiat assumenda.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
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

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...”