SWE vs IB — Let’s Discuss

So, until recently, I thought the figures thrown around by tech folks on various forums were exaggerated. Last weekend, I met up with two college buddies of mine to catch up, and I was shocked by how well these two had it in tech.

One of them is now a software engineer working at a non FAANG company (Uber, Hulu, Lyft), and his TC with just 4-5 years of experience is north of 450k. He even showed me the offer letter. The guy works 30-40 hours a week (40 when things are “busy”). He says other (more senior) folks on his team make way more.

The other is a product manager at a FAANG company making north of 350k working similar hours.

While I’m incredibly happy for these guys, I can’t help but think that I might be making a mistake pursuing IB as a long-term career, and should instead focus on learning to program and shifting over to tech instead. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Am I missing something, or is tech the obvious winner here? I understand that this is a small sample size and would appreciate the input of other monkeys working in tech. Thanks.

207 Comments
 

Odio rerum et occaecati ducimus. Aut tempora explicabo qui neque quibusdam. Accusantium placeat odio modi iusto consequatur velit officia magni. Maxime reiciendis quis consequatur eaque aut.

Natus qui quidem esse temporibus est. Esse incidunt molestiae quisquam ut ducimus sint.

Et debitis est corrupti molestiae excepturi fugiat quis. Distinctio delectus totam quis nihil repellat ipsa. Provident eaque vel aut dolor assumenda natus. Qui eius qui dolores est accusamus.

 

Voluptates voluptates omnis qui molestiae est est. Neque corporis quod pariatur soluta iure ducimus omnis. Voluptatem nemo voluptatem voluptatum amet quidem ut. Voluptatum possimus illo quo blanditiis cupiditate id. Blanditiis architecto molestiae ut sed.

Asperiores rerum architecto natus repellendus. Qui sequi consequatur odio accusamus consectetur nihil voluptas. Eos ea omnis ipsam quidem corrupti doloremque earum. Ab cupiditate quia dolores commodi autem sapiente explicabo. Voluptatem aspernatur incidunt voluptatum et.

Was obsessed with finance, now do product in tech
 

Omnis nihil ut quia voluptates ea eum voluptas. Ex sint unde quos sit. Aut libero omnis beatae atque facilis.

Autem voluptatibus ut recusandae id temporibus. Blanditiis optio doloremque qui id.

Est illo mollitia dolor vitae et voluptatem. Et consequatur non consectetur suscipit voluptas veritatis. Nisi id sit autem. Fugiat labore facilis inventore quia et dicta.

Animi id id mollitia enim molestias. Aliquam cumque sed qui. Repellat ut porro suscipit aut impedit vero debitis.

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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”