Advice: IB v HF

Hello! I am a current sophomore at a low-semi-target (sorry if I am abusing the nomenclature system here, lol), and I am looking for some advice.

This summer, I will do IB at a boutique (very blessed by the opportunity and extremely grateful). I am wondering if IB is what I want/need to do, or if I am just following the trail that was blazed by my predecessors. Some of my mentors (friends, professors, etc.) have told me that I will not be able to beat out the "frat Chads" in IB, and that I should take advantage of my quantitative background and pursue work in a hedge fund where I can employ that background more fully. I think I will be competitive in the IB sphere, but I am also intrigued by hedge funds, and am certainly a fan of the potential comp and work-life balance at some of the prop trading shops.

A slew of questions, if you are willing: -How necessary do you think having two years of IB under your belt is? -For my junior summer, should I pursue IB at a BB or look more into trading (I plan on applying to every job in the planet, including PE, but I do not know how to decide if multiple opportunities present themselves)? -What made you choose IB (if applicable) over the other career paths? -I am told that IB presents more diverse and far-reaching exit opportunities than a HF. What happens if you do not want to be at a HF in the long-run and are then constricted by your limited exit opportunities? -Do you think the actual day-to-day work at a bank is more exciting than that of a hedge fund?

Any advice helps - many thanks in helping me resolve an existential crisis!

*NOTE: I have consulted family/friends and taken personality/skills/strengths tests, but their results are not conclusive/consistent enough to steer me in one direction more than another. Additionally, as I do not have experience in either field yet, I do not know which I enjoy more.

13 Comments
 

I am so, so confused: why are you thinking I am not serious? I legitimately want to learn. I have better things to do than prank the internet with troll/shitposts.

 

you know there are different types of hedge funds.. and depending on the type you want to/have the temperament to work for the answer to the "do i need to do IB" question will vary.

your "quantitative skills" or whatever the hell your mentors were trying to get at won't really give you an edge for some types of HFs.

Was obsessed with finance, now do product in tech
 

That I totally understand - thank you. I’m just having trouble on figuring out which temperaments belong with which kinds of shops. Also fully agree that doing square roots quickly doesn’t make someone a boss-ass trader. I’d love to learn what does though

 
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