10 Comments
 

regardless of what someone posts here, this is ultimately your decision to make

don't let others influence your decision by claiming that other banks are more or less prestigious

you should determine how you fit with these particular banks as you will be killing yourself for two years anyways

you're going to be a banker either way so congratulations ~ good luck

 
brisbaneIt seems sad to me that a key question for people when considering a job in banking is how quickly they can get OUT of banking and into something else...

Grab a tissue then....

 
Best Response

Wow. With almost no information given, you're asking us to base your decision on whether you can "move up" a tier.

First off, these tiers don't really exist. It's not as black and white. JPM Lev Fin is traditionally one of the best departments on the street, while their residential mortages group is not as strong as Lehman or Bear. Yes, both markets aren't doing well, but that can change quickly. Deal flow is pretty important, but within the Bulge brackets, it isn't a make or break move.

Did you fit into your company? Are you happy there? Have you made contacts at another company? The stock prices of all the investment banks have dropped recently, due to the negative outlook of the credit markets. Do you think they're going to hire a large incoming class? I doubt it, when I see layoff articles on bloomberg and in the journal. The banks have invested in their interns and always need a constant flow of new analysts, but where they can reduce costs is in full time hires. My guess is that full time hiring will be tougher this fall with fewer positions opening up.

 

JPM is a tier 1, with an extremely different culture than MS or GS. If you liked the people there, staying is a no brainier as culturally it is on the other end of the spectrum.

CS is more dicey, but they are definitely the most diverse, and I have a lot of respect for that.

Beyond all that jazz, how you market yourself, how you do in your position, and how you handle the recruiting process will have much more influence on exit ops than which of these banks you go to. You can certainly find people on CS level (and a few banks below) at the top PE firms. Choose where you will do the best and people will advocate for you. That is by far the most important.

 

The point is, prestige around that level is more or less the same, so your decision should really be based on which bank was the best "fit" for you. If you liked JPM, go ahead and sign up now, you can't go wrong with them.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

Esse error soluta molestiae quia doloribus laudantium illum. Incidunt aut quo aut qui ad. Qui quia nisi cumque nisi quo voluptas. Dolor enim vel illo quis enim. Molestiae nisi est dignissimos qui hic facere.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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...”