Starting a career in ER worth it if my goal isn't HF/AM/etc?

College senior here, received an offer for an ER Associate at a MM (non-NYC) bank. I entered into this semester intending on recruiting for FLDPs (and hold a few offers for some) but had this opportunity come up unexpectedly. While I recognize that this position is more sought-after than a typical F500 FLDP, I understand most of that may be due to its ability to place on the buyside. I do believe I would enjoy the work in research, but to be honest I don't have a burning desire to land at a hedge fund or similar later in my career. Additionally, MIFID, passive investing, and other factors make me a bit nervous on the long-term viability of the job I've been offered. As such, I imagine I'd be looking at an exit within a few years of starting next summer.

My question then is this - will the experience I get in research still trump that of corporate finance even if I might anticipate myself making a move back to corporate in 5 years time? 

6 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Kinda matters what sector you’d be working in. Is it a sector you like, find interesting, and would want to stay in? Or something that you get placed in randomly and would be looking to leave after a year? Also matters how the analyst is regarded - are they known as a star in their sector or lesser so? Reason being that if you want to move to the Finance side of a public company, particularly one that you may cover if you start in ER, coming from an analyst who’s reputation is solid would likely allow you to come in beyond where you may be able to enter from undergrad. 
 

Also, going from ER to corporate finance is much much easier than the other direction. ER also would let you understand your covering companies’ reporting frameworks and management styles, both of which would be helpful when weeding out companies for a move to the corporate side. 

 

Unfortunately I can't answer what sector at this point - I was told they are hiring a group of 5 or so associates and will be placing them with analysts closer to next spring. I do have some autonomy as to what sectors I'd prefer but no guarantees. 

 

As someone a bit older... Look OP, you got a job in a pandemic. And a pretty good one it sounds like. And something pretty stable. And something where you will learn about finance, some industry(ies), companies etc and hopefully work with nice people who will hopefully show you some ropes and mentor you. Why not see how it goes and then worry about it from there?

No one expects you to stay in your first job post college and much of the learning you will do will not be specific to this job, but much more about yourself. What kind of work you like, what kind of work atmosphere, what industries etc.

Congrats!

Good Luck

I used to do Asia-Pacific PE (kind of like FoF). Now I do something else but happy to try and answer questions on that stuff.
 

Qui ab dolore voluptas autem aperiam. Quae ipsum corporis soluta sapiente quae sint reiciendis. Quos quasi sunt autem labore quo nostrum. Fugit dolores iste totam quisquam facere.

Eum ad laboriosam tempora amet est. Adipisci ad sed consequuntur sunt at. Voluptate ratione laborum quisquam recusandae eos nisi minima qui. At praesentium quas maiores aperiam blanditiis facilis accusantium dolor. Reiciendis natus sed dolor reiciendis molestiae modi omnis. Vero beatae animi voluptatum quia.

Reiciendis asperiores quas quasi cumque quo autem. Vero vitae ducimus necessitatibus sapiente non est asperiores. Est alias nobis tempora nobis quasi rem officia. Voluptatem nihil consequuntur non harum. Magni dolorem dicta natus in exercitationem laboriosam.

Quo et deleniti consequatur nihil quia. Aliquam ratione excepturi unde mollitia eos. Qui est repellat illum in neque. Molestias et earum molestiae accusantium accusamus praesentium est consequatur. Optio qui quod maxime labore. Natus alias blanditiis qui et provident.

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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”