Non IB Summer Finance Analyst --> IB First Year Analyst?

Hello WSO,

I recently accepted an offer for a Summer Analyst position in NYC at a T15 bank (think First Citizens, BMO, Citizens) in their Sponsor Finance group. This is the private equity coverage team within the bank’s commercial finance group, so I'll be working on stuff like LBO financing, acquisition financing, and debt refinancing.

I had been focused on pursuing a career in consulting until fall 2024, so my decision to switch to finance left me behind on recruiting—both in terms of finance experience and timeline, so I was happy to get any sort of finance internship. However, as I’ve explored potential career paths within finance, I find myself leaning toward the 'IB or nothing' mindset, at least for the first few years of my career. So I figured that this internship will do a few things for me: Put finance experience on my resume, give me a solid technical foundation, and allow me to network with others for a shot at breaking into IB. Also for context I have a 3.6 GPA from a target school.

Is it feasible to secure a full-time analyst offer at a solid MM or boutique bank in areas like LevFin, DCM, or even FSG before the summer ends/before senior year begins? Or would it be wiser to focus on securing a return offer, spend a year or two building my experience in sponsor finance, and then lateral somewhere after a couple of years? I just want to make sure I don’t pigeonhole myself.

If I did take this longer route, would a PE firm's lending branch or a private credit shop be viable exit opps given my experience? Or should I still be thinking about IB? Are there any other potential exit opportunities I might be overlooking?

Like most of us, I’m primarily motivated by better exit opps & higher total comp. I’m willing to work ~75 hours per week but I don't think I could handle consistent 90+ hour weeks.

I don't come from a finance background, and this is my first post, so any advice or insights are appreciated! Oh and one more thing, is CB the correct tag for my profile?

Thanks in advance!