Bloomberg Intelligence vs Sell-Side Equity Research → Buyside Path?

Hey everyone — would really appreciate some honest perspectives here

I’m currently a biotech equity research associate on the sell side (small team, high responsibility, strong exposure to management/KOL calls, building models, writing notes, etc.). Long-term goal is to move to the buyside (ideally L/S).

Recently, I’ve been approached by headhunters for long/short roles, and I’ve also been in conversations with a few other banks — so I feel like I’m at a bit of an inflection point

At the same time, I’m considering an opportunity at Bloomberg Intelligence:

• Significant pay bump (~2x current comp)
• More structured environment
• Likely less traditional modeling / fewer deep company interactions vs sell-side
• But I’ll have my own coverage universe 
   

A few things I’m trying to think through:

1. How is Bloomberg Intelligence viewed by buyside recruiting vs traditional sell-side ER?
2. Does moving to BI make it harder to transition to hedge funds later?
3. How much would I lose in terms of modeling reps / investment thinking?
4. Is the lifestyle + comp tradeoff worth it early in your career (also I have student loans to pay off)
5. For those who’ve made similar moves — any regrets or things you didn’t anticipate?

My instinct is that buyside is the more direct path to where I want to be, but the BI opportunity is compelling enough that I want to pressure test it properly
 

Would really value any candid advice — especially from people who’ve seen both paths play out.