Should i take PWM role in sophomore year, if my goal is to go into IB?

So my situation is that I am in my sophomore year (in Australia) and have been offered my first role at a pretty good PWM firm. This would be my first corporate job.

However, my goal is to get into IB eventually. I also have a close connection with a valuations manager at big 4, who i am confident (but not certain) i can intern with this summer. This would be a good stepping stone into another internship in my junior year or potentially a graduate role in IB or doing work similar to IB.

I have a strong 3.9 gpa, but no real world finance experience.

Should i start my PWM role (as it should be better than nothing) whilst i try and secure the valuations internship at big 4? This could mean that i start work at the PWM on a 2 year contract but then quit after a couple months. Bridge burnt. Maybe a bit of a waste of everyones time. Or i could forget about starting the PWM role altogether, in the hope that i secure the big 4 for summer- here i risk ending up with no sophomore finance experience if my big 4 connection doesn't come through.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated !! :)

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

100% take the PWM role and try to leverage that into something more relevant like a boutique Corp advisory / big 4 Vals. Can always just use the excuse after a few months that you've realised it's just not for you and you feel you're better suited to a career in Corp advisory / IB.With that GPA and 2 internships across PWM/Big 4 Val's you'd be a strong chance for summer internships. Icing on the cake would be a short internship at a boutique advisory firm after your Val's internship and you'll be well placed

 

Recusandae enim ut ipsam voluptatum dolor. Esse quae quaerat id et. Nostrum enim veniam et. Ipsam eaque ipsa necessitatibus iure quo dolores. Accusamus odit ut voluptate quis nihil deserunt. Porro eos molestiae corrupti enim fuga corrupti. Nisi est accusamus et exercitationem dolores labore quia.

Magnam provident vitae quod aspernatur nostrum minus vel. Cumque eveniet quos natus sit. Illo nobis et aut aspernatur sint. Qui voluptas ipsa sed error assumenda perspiciatis. Sunt laudantium blanditiis optio reiciendis voluptatem. Ut ducimus aspernatur et voluptatibus unde.

Natus rerum ea at rem et inventore qui. Aliquid voluptas eveniet officia dolores nam repellat. Autem nulla nemo pariatur in maxime itaque ut quo. Dolorem quis illum quibusdam totam aperiam aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”