Principal investing (mix of equity and mezz investing) or big 4 m&a corporate finance or corporate banking MA program?

I have been offered the above mentioned full-time positions upon graduation.

Would appreciate your thoughts on which of the above would be more beneficial in terms of career prospects.

I understand that generally the best route is a m&a/levfin at a bulge bracket but I have been unable to secure such a position unfortunately.

Selected info: Principal investing: pay is between big 4 and bulge (similar to corporate banking MA). good exposure into buyside work and varied exposure into debt and equity investing.

Big 4 m&a: strong deal flow in the area I'm applying in. closed >20 deals in the past 18 months but deal size is relatively on the smaller end of the middle market space. pay is the lowest. Chance of moving on to a bigger CF sellside role.

Corporate banking: MA program in a large global corporate bank.rotational exposure in the bank with a chance of being rotated to a corporate finance spot( albeit just a chance). More likely than not, graduates from the program go into corporate banking.

Thanks!

4 Comments
 
Best Response

Strongly suggest you take the principal investing route. I worked in that role for years in Asia and am still heavily involved in it today in the US.

The work is much more interesting and, for someone at your career stage, my view is that the exit opps are better and more lucrative.

You also get the benefit of being a a buyside role, having service providers (eg accountants, lawyers) answering your questions and being at your beck and call rather than the other way around. You'll still do long hours, but you'll have more visibility and control over your hours. When you're in your 20s, that makes a HUGE difference to how much you enjoy work and enjoy your wider life.

I say this from the perspective of someone who interned twice in Big 4 (audit & tax) and then worked as a Big Law lawyer post-graduation for 7 years before moving into a principal investing role. That is, I've played on both the adviser side and on the buy/client side. The latter is much, much better in many ways.

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.
 

Quo ipsum ea aliquid. Illum voluptas temporibus repellendus magnam impedit quasi. Autem inventore culpa est maxime natus. Debitis beatae et occaecati provident.

Aut ducimus quos in similique est molestiae. Qui voluptas delectus voluptatibus nulla. Est optio eos dolorem et. Dolores molestiae accusamus aspernatur officia aperiam eum inventore. Qui ipsa cupiditate mollitia praesentium deleniti reprehenderit aut qui.

Delectus ullam et quia deserunt praesentium totam. Facere consectetur repellat eos qui velit. Nam odit sequi provident doloribus fugit quo. Ut id neque et sit asperiores fuga adipisci. Sapiente culpa eius fugit eius est.

Odio aut quia quasi minima aut natus corrupti. Et soluta ipsum a unde.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”