Structured Finance Exit Opportunities

Realistic exits from Structured Products / ABS / Esoteric Finance groups?

I’m looking at structured products, ABS and esoteric finance teams at banks and trying to understand what the realistic exits actually are.

At some banks, these teams sit within IBD, while at others they sit under Global Markets or Structured Finance. Does that distinction materially affect exit opportunities?

My main concern is getting pigeonholed into a very narrow part of credit. Are the most common buyside exits essentially CLO, ABS or structured-credit funds, or is it realistic to move into broader direct lending, private credit, opportunistic credit or special situations?

It seems like the work should provide transferable skills: cash-flow modelling, downside analysis, understanding collateral and capital structures, and in some cases underwriting the underlying business rather than only analysing a pool of assets. Would that experience be viewed as relevant for direct lending or more traditional corporate-credit investing?

I’m also curious how difficult it would be to move further away from credit entirely. Is there any realistic path from one of these groups into an equity hedge fund, or private equity, or would recruiters generally see the experience as too specialised?

I’m interested in the space and my background has led to it, but I don’t want to enter a track that effectively closes the door to equities or more generalist investing after a few years. Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has worked in these groups or seen where analysts and associates have exited.