Big 4 (Deals) vs BO

Hello!

So I am currently in a situation where I have to make up my mind regarding my future career in a short space of time.

My long term goal is to work in trade and I am bit puzzled of how I should get there. As for now I have two offer on the table:

  • Either BO at an investment bank (doing collateral management). This role would expose me closer to the trades of derivatives and other instruments.

  • I have also been offered an analyst role at big4 within deals where I will get the opportunity to choose either M&A transaction Services, Valuation and Modelling or CF. I believe that this would be interesting given clients exposure but I will get less experience in regards of financial instruments and trading, the plan in this case is rather to transition into IB and after a while to trade.

I am less sure about the feasibility of the plans I have based on the options offered right now (ofc getting into FO directly would be the best, but it is unfortunately not an option). Hence, I am asking you experts on this forum. I am located in one European country outside the UK.

Best regards

5 Comments
 

Dolorum id rerum possimus. In ut soluta officiis enim quisquam. Maxime amet voluptas quisquam et ut facilis. Veniam dolorem voluptatem suscipit voluptas quia laboriosam maiores. Facilis aut eveniet corrupti quaerat qui. Autem quam sit et voluptas et sit aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (74) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”