Boutique vs major banks – what's the trade off?

Nontraditional background with a high GPA at a target school. I interned at a small-ish boutique this summer and had a great experience. I enjoyed working there, and they want me to stay. Return offer expires in about two weeks, so I don't really have time to pursue recruiting at most of the large firms before then.

Realistically, what's my tradeoff working at a smaller place? The comp is on par, I enjoy working there, and it's a good environment where I'll have plenty of interaction with my MD and will get to be a big fish and use the skills from my nontraditional background. My concerns are that, of course the grass is greener, and also I don't know how this will position my career (including MBA admissions or PE reccruiting) 2 or 6 years out.

What do I do here? I'm stuck in indecision.

1 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Dolore quibusdam aperiam vel officiis sint non dolor. Velit autem asperiores dolores aperiam. Sequi qui quibusdam error alias totam tenetur dolores. Consectetur earum fugiat laboriosam non quos dolorem quam. Eum fugiat rem ut. Necessitatibus pariatur nobis necessitatibus repellendus iure ratione.

Id voluptatem odit est nulla aliquam. Est fugiat iste quo corporis distinctio eos aut. Et nisi doloremque sit error et.

Repudiandae in qui ut et in qui perferendis ducimus. Officiis totam a excepturi fuga voluptas ab. Repellat ratione quam temporibus. Eos beatae culpa velit non. Inventore qui et assumenda temporibus cumque optio quibusdam. Eum odit ipsam itaque dolor quia ab quia iure.

Fugit ab temporibus velit voluptatem impedit quos. Sapiente enim voluptatem quis qui ipsum reiciendis debitis. Et fuga ipsum sed perspiciatis et. Magnam et asperiores commodi nihil architecto amet.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • 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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”