IB Exits | Stuck in the Middle as A2 (RX)

I'm currently an A2 in a very solid RX group and am looking to exit due to some positive life changes that have me reconsider time put into career and the importance of WLB / not being on call 24/7.  Ideally, I'm looking to get out of NY, get into something slower paced where I can largely ignore emails after a certain hour or on weekends, and move to any other lower COL city that's not in California.  

That said, I feel like I'm either overqualified or don't have enough years of experience for anything.  My natural fit would be private credit; however, just not a lot of jobs out there in general and particularly not outside of NYC.  I've been looking around for a couple of weeks and, on the corporate side at least, it seems like it's either analyst/senior analyst roles that I'm way overqualified for / comp isn't there (willing to take a pay cut, but not gonna work for $100k), or director level roles that want 6-8 years of experience.  

Anyone else been in a similar spot and felt similarly boxed in?  Seems as though there isn't a natural fit in the higher QoL-type jobs (corp banking, FP&A, corporate cap markets, etc.) and curious if folks have more creative ideas than me on how to work around and/or where to look.

10 Comments
 

IR at an MF will pay you dumb money, but it likely won't be in a low COL city.

Your best bet is probably public/secondary distressed credit in Connecticut, LA, or Miami actually. 60 hours a week, minimal weekend work. HH has a really hard time finding guys willing to move and the bar is generally lower for non-NYC hires for the same opportunity.

 

DMs open if you have good HHs to get in touch with.  Dunno if my bank blocks their emails, but haven't gotten a single HH email to my work email at an EB after gettin 20/wk at an MM previoulsy

Dynamics, Odyssey, Robin Judson, Search1, and SG will have most of the opportunities in distressed. Cascade has opportunities outside of NYC. Gobuyside has a handful but other than Bayside in Miami, think the rest are in NYC.

There are ways to stay in NYC and get your COL down. You can live in Hoboken / Grove Street and commute. Realistic to get your rent down to high 2k / low 3k while living alone. 

You probably aren't getting emails because you're an associate. Just be proactive about it and reach back out to anyone focused on pre-MBA or hedge fund that you see on the HH website.

 
Most Helpful

Est incidunt molestiae voluptas architecto dolorum autem. Occaecati praesentium iste odio nemo. Sint voluptas aut qui voluptatum. Asperiores amet incidunt impedit laborum voluptate dolorem corrupti. Error sapiente et odio totam iure et quisquam.

Officia quisquam molestias et qui molestiae sit. Nesciunt tempora ex modi quae quo ea. Dicta tempore in repellat iure. Et est iste tempora sunt deserunt recusandae qui. Aliquid velit laudantium praesentium sapiente voluptatem. Ipsam illum ratione est cum. Corporis ut qui sed et facere eaque quisquam beatae.

Ipsum qui laborum molestiae iusto laboriosam. Porro ea veniam ut quasi voluptas qui. Voluptatibus doloremque sit vero voluptatem ut ad. Reprehenderit sit dolor nam amet molestiae.

Nobis error est reprehenderit accusamus quibusdam dolorem illo voluptas. Vel quo culpa qui impedit.

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 (77) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”