Help me analyze my job offers

Hey guys,

I’m in a predicament, albeit a good one.. I have two full time offers for after graduation. One of them is for a venture capital/growth equity fund of about $1B AUM, the other is for a boutique LMM investment bank. Both are in rather remote cities that are far from financial capitals.

I am graduating from my undergrad studies from a non-target university and I am fortunate to have these two offers in front of me. I would be happy with either type of work, what is troubling me is the fact that I’m not sure which will have the best growth potential moving forward.

I know that VC firms tend to push out junior employees after 2-3 years if they do not have an MBA and I’m not sure if I like the options for a career afterwards. It is rare for a junior employee to get passed associate level. The banking gig also has me worried because I’m afraid I won’t attract a bulge bracket or EB offer after working for a couple of years. I know with a high level of certitude that the boutique would require my exit after 1-2 years.

My plan is to get my MBA and CFA after my junior stint at either company. I guess what I’m looking for is any insight from people in similar scenarios at boutiques or VC/PE firms and why they chose what they did.

I’d say the order of importance for job qualities for me would be:

1. Growth potential
2. Comp
3. Top MBA prospects
4. Work-life balance
5. Benefits/Perks