Need Advice - M&A Analyst (26years old)

Hello,

to give a background about myself, I am currently an M&A Analyst (6 months current) for a large firm in the airline catering industry, currently restructuring our portfolio by divesting out companies we do not see suitable and potentially will be acquiring some down the line. Prior to this I was a financial analyst for a software firm. 

Although the current role sounds nice, in the last 6 months I was only exposed to 2 transactions, of which I am fully integrated in 1 divesture. This involved helping prepare a teaser (find and send the teaser to potential investors that would be aligned with the company we are divesting), an information memorandum, and a management presentation (which I prepared on my own). Asides from this, most of my tasks seem like mickey mouse ad-hoc BS that my manager and VP toss in my lap (doing surface level market research or translating a balance sheet in one currency to another). I have had little to no exposure to valuation which is why I initially took the position wanting to gain modelling experience. Although I am grateful for having seen firsthand a sell-side deal, I am getting the feeling that my time is being wasted here. Asides from this I am currently studying for the CFA level 2 (which now that I think about, seems like an additional time wasted compared to other stuff I could be learning). 

Ideally, I want to get involved in a PE firm or a corporate development role where my role seems more meaningful; however, I am not sure if I am qualified for this.

Prior to the M&A role, I was a financial analyst working on JE's, reconciliations, and monthly/quarterly variance analysis

Any advice is kindly appreciated, and thank you for your time reading this. If any clarification is needed, feel free to respond.

Regards,

Chimp

1 Comments
 

Quis eligendi voluptates accusamus saepe eligendi. Non aspernatur autem quae suscipit at nesciunt sit. Corrupti ut harum voluptatem eum id eligendi voluptas. Hic eaque maxime sunt laudantium veniam.

Rerum aut voluptatibus reprehenderit et. Possimus molestiae nobis atque aut nihil totam sapiente.

Veritatis laborum rerum sunt similique. Est non et deserunt ex dolor occaecati in. Voluptates saepe debitis consequatur quod saepe officiis voluptas. Recusandae velit officiis maxime. Inventore non et nulla autem. Doloremque cum ab provident quas odio consequatur mollitia eligendi.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”