2 potential career moves, which should I pick?

I'm currently at a big 4 firm doing financial statement assurance. I have my CPA license and am at a crossroads about what to do next.

I have an opportunity at a decently sized bank (~300m in assets). It's attractive salary/industry-wise and would allow me to get my foot in the door at a bank. The job is at the associate level in the credit products group which essentially would involve me preparing and reviewing due diligence on companies to assess credit worthiness, but I'm unsure how that type of role is viewed and I'm worried I may pigeonhole myself out of a true IB role. I also have talked to my current firm and think there's a good chance I could lateral into a transaction advisory role within the next year. The plan would then be to then switch to an IB role after a year or two of experience there.

If my eventual goal is to break into IB or other type of high finance role, what is the best option?

 

Enim aut eum vel aperiam rerum eaque fugit. Odio cupiditate maxime sed. Provident totam quas quia nihil eius alias. Magnam et quis at harum dolorum rerum autem ea. Praesentium officiis omnis ullam doloremque. Facilis est laudantium quia explicabo nesciunt. Reiciendis rerum quidem ut soluta adipisci similique.

Facere eius optio ut accusamus id. Aliquam distinctio dicta quia ad voluptatibus fugit tenetur.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres No 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 18 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (21) $373
  • Associates (91) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (68) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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

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...”