Houston BB vs. BB,MM,EB in CA or NY

Hello everyone,

I am currently attending a non-target school and have accepted an offer at a solid BB in Houston (MS/GS/JPM) as a 2023 SA. I've heard from many people that working in Houston O&G will get you stuck in the industry forever. I know that I don't want to do O&G long term. I would much rather work in a Tech or HC group, following into PE for whichever or just generalist. Also, I just don't really want to live in the south, and would love to move to NY or CA. Are my concerns of being pigeon-holed real? If yes, am I screwed at this point, or is there a chance for me to recruit for FT in CA or NY (I don't care if I have to move to a "worse" bank)? I appreciate any advice or responses.

Thank you!

5 Comments
 

I have no anecdotal experience so take this with a grain of salt, but I think making a switch internally/externally for FT recruiting or even post-college recruiting should be feasible depending on your ability to convincingly show interest in the new position and industry (and location to a lesser extent). So like being able to speak to trends and future outlooks in tech/consumer/hc/whatever and talking about the pigeon-hole/lack of industry interest idea at a higher, less “touchy” level in interviews.

Idk like your career is so long, one 3 month internship or even a 2-year analyst stint can’t truly silo you if you’re driven. But sure, maybe it’ll be harder (but not impossible) to switch to like HC PE in a different city right after the O&G analyst stint.

 

Yes O&G is highly specifically technical. No, you won’t get THAT pigeon-holed. In fact I know a ton of people who are able to move to NY/CA after their SA/AN1 gig. So yeah, you’re perfectly fine, especially when you’re at a BB.

 

Your concerns are real in that you will struggle mightily to get to generalist PE (esp NYC) after O&G. You're not pigeon-holed as an intern, but obviously your best chances for PE don't involve lateraling after a year so make the move after SA if you can.

Depending on which of those banks, internal might not be a good idea (looking at you, GS)

 

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