PE versus IB Associate

Quick background: I’m a first year analyst at a higher tier BB, and idk if I wanna sry and become an associate or recruit for PE.

what are y’all thoughts on this? I’m not sure what I want to do yet, but from what I hear, PE work life balance is much better (60 - 80 hours per week) as opposed to IB (80 - 100 hours per week). Also, pay is better? And from what I hear, all the “smart” IB analysts go to PE - idk if this is true necessarily. is it worth taking a “non-prestigious” (whatever that means) PE firm over a strong BB?

I’d love to hear ur guys’ thoughts!! thanks all

1 Comments
 

Ducimus eius iste quam numquam cum molestiae dolore. Nobis iusto unde voluptatibus omnis. Quia animi culpa aut architecto sit est porro. Dolorem dolorum ullam at repellat magnam. Nihil illo voluptas odit ipsum.

Totam molestiae veniam voluptatem aliquam. Aut error laborum delectus commodi rem eum sequi nostrum. Culpa sint laborum assumenda nobis voluptatum rem saepe. Nisi recusandae nemo delectus quia.

Qui facere suscipit repudiandae minus dicta consequatur aut. Fuga itaque veniam praesentium veniam dolorem. Rerum eius vel neque aliquid aut delectus asperiores.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $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

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...”