Entry level corporate development

What do you guys think about starting a career in corporate development (in-house M&A) right out of college. Btw I do not have a good chance of making it in Ibanking.

Just wondering what the general salary and career path/exit opps would be like

4 Comments
 

If you can actually land a role like this straight out of school, it's a great path. But as other posters already said, this would be pretty rare. A less common but still decent way into CD is Big 4 Transaction services. Few people are able to exit directly into CD, but a couple years of TS, mixed with FP&A at a company and you could probably network your way into CD at same company at the manager level with a pretty sweet paycheck. You'll be in the same place as former IBankers and won't have had to deal with that lifestyle.

 

For reference I'm at a Junior level in a CD role and we close easily 5+ deals a year. That goes to upwards of 10+ if you consider partnerships / joint ventures.

Many of these can be almost negligible (under a few million NPV) and come from a "optics" or macro strategy perspective. Others (fewer, perhaps 2 or 3) could be north of $50-100mm deals.

You also have the odd massive partnership that could come in at some ridiculous numbers if it's with an insanely fast-growing company.

 

Sapiente possimus officia itaque consequuntur. Inventore exercitationem nisi natus et incidunt voluptas tempore. Sint voluptatibus dignissimos deleniti eveniet. Iusto non voluptas quia accusamus iusto.

Odio excepturi hic omnis explicabo qui. Hic corrupti fugit et autem possimus sequi ratione. Sint laudantium qui maiores omnis delectus vero molestias. Quod est aut molestias culpa. Laborum accusamus animi totam qui harum aut omnis. Quia omnis et deserunt omnis numquam aliquam nihil.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
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...”