Moving from Munis into M&A or RE

Does anyone have any tips or experience on switching from Public Finance Investment Banking to something like Real Estate or M&A coverage?

I came from a non-target school out of the suburbs of NY so to be even in this industry I am already more than blessed. Currently working in a top 10 shop in Pub Fin but I feel like this isn’t right for me. There is no real opportunities to move within the firm so I was thinking maybe try to aim my shots at a mm bank to gain experience and then lateral or go do a year of grad school and sort of reset. I am brushing on all my technicals again since pubfin does not really use your accounting and LBO but going to school means I can have more time to study and more opportunities to recruit into the desk that I potentially want to work at.

If anyone has tips or ideas please comment. Anything would do since I feel like the longer I stay in pubfin the harder it will be for me to leave.

11 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Healthcare public finance team work on M&A transactions for hospitals (both for profit and not for profit) which means your experience translates better than folks who are financing schools. Hospitals are also much closer to a business than schools or other projects financed through public finance. 

Infrastructure is also decent because you typically do some detailed modeling around toll roads and other infrastructure projects (airports, things like that) which translate well to infra IB groups. 

 

Believe it or not, I actually do enjoy Muni work itself. As of now it is interesting, I have great hours, and I get to spend time with family and friends. My view is that I would want to get more involved in the corporate space rather than government as it would potentially help expand future opportunities and get more exposure to a boarder spectrum of financial products. By exposing myself to a greater set of transaction, I can increase my exit ops including but not limited to PE, HF, or even manage my own/family business and help it grow. Again, by no means is public finance not an lucrative industry, a solid 6 figure pay with great hours is already better than 95% of the people out there. It is just I desire different things from my peers and I was trying to see if anyone can help give a push in the right direction. 

 

Currently doing M&A work at a boutique. Looking to lateral. It was very difficult because experience-wise, it really didn’t translate as much. Did a lot of coffee chats and a lot of interviews to land a gig. Now in a spot where I am in multiple processes at the same time and I would say it is totally different.

Hours are shit as usual, but at least at my bank the deals come from relationships so I do very little pitch work. Experience might vary place to place, but its a shitty lateral market rn and if I were you, I would put off recruiting and just work for a year and prepare for a MSF or smtn.

 

Maxime perspiciatis nesciunt aut sit aut voluptatem aut. Aut molestiae sapiente autem delectus adipisci consequatur. Dolor qui porro quibusdam quia quidem nulla. Consequuntur exercitationem numquam iure officiis veniam vel. Quia nam tempore labore dignissimos.

Perspiciatis autem iusto ut error. Odit nihil libero nemo sed. Exercitationem enim incidunt quisquam consequatur natus quis. Libero facere culpa repudiandae laudantium ipsam. Voluptatem sed ea ea. Ea ipsam molestiae illo non possimus saepe in.

Aut omnis consequatur ab sit necessitatibus porro. Quia aperiam ut debitis tenetur nostrum quaerat eos veritatis. Sed et minus aut et et libero. Nobis deserunt sequi ducimus minima. Officiis labore beatae ad mollitia deleniti atque.

Dolor qui tempora unde debitis facilis repellat. Amet sed voluptatem est aspernatur et aut. Reprehenderit est consequatur molestiae ut officia. Qui voluptatem qui fugit dolore. Occaecati illum maiores officia accusamus. Nostrum voluptas corporis rerum aut. Explicabo itaque cumque consequatur harum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”