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trading roles can lead to a banks internal prop desk/hedge fund, but give you little access to the powers that be in buyside outside your bank.
sales roles are often overlooked for some reason, people think they are not that prestigious, quite the opposite from my experience. Remember, being a salesmen, you are on the phone with the portfolio manager/guy that runs the hedge fund everyday talking about ideas, investments, outlook etc. What better way to secure a job at a hedge fund than to talk to the guy that runs it, and show him you have the ability to form profitbale trade/investment ideas.
can't say much for structurer, i know the people are generally pretty smart..
anyway, the answer obviously depends on the banks reputation, the product you are working with, and teh amount of contact you have with the buyside.
S&T is not like banking, where recruiters come and gobble up second and third year analysts for HF/PE positions, you have to be more proactive and go out and get the position yourself by impressing the people you work with and for.
LOL tekno, you must be on a sales desk, eh?
not to say some sales people aren't smart, but most salespeople (especially in exotics) are definitely not forming "profitable trade/investment ideas". They're getting the ideas from research or the traders.
To be honest, deckone, if you end up in sales, you'll wonder why you even bothered going to college.
thats not true montecarlo. Already this year from my desk, multiple people have been picked up by some amazing buy-side firms. Some of the fixed income sales people are the smartest guys I know. not to say there arent some not so smart ones. but im sure i could go to any desk in the firm and find some people who aren't that bright.
and in response to your comments "not to say some sales people aren't smart..." the good sales people are the ones who can add value and come up with their own ideas. I would say don't even bother joining a desk if you are satisfied with mediocrity.
The sales lifestyle is great also. I had the option of doing sales or trading, and I gladly chose sales. I'm sorry you feel that sales people are so useless. you views are quite myopic.
i didn't say sales is useless, i took issue with your description of the role that sales plays. i think, at the most, we all work together and the roles blend, but many sales people are actually pretty awful. i work on an exotics desk, and the typical refrain for our sales ppl in response to a tough client q is "I don't know anything, I'm just a salesperson!". Not shittin' u man. There is no way I'd want their job if only because they build no real skillset. On the other hand, they have to pick up phones all the time, they do go out to client dinners a lot, and at the end of the year, they still get paid a helluva bonus!
that said, i think the top ppl could be good at anything, whether its trading, sales, or research.
usually followed pretty closely by "what's my sales credit"?
what sort of exotics?
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