West Coast banking - advantages/disadvantages?

I've been thinking about doing an MBA at Berkeley because the place sounds fantastic to me, and I'm really not a huge fan of NYC (other schools I would apply to would be Tuck, Columbia and Yale SOM for NY IB jobs). But what are the key difference between California IBDs and New York? Are work hours more relaxed, is the work focused on certain product groups, is there very little potential for regular private equity exit opps and more VC stuff? Just general opinions/insights would be great. Cheers!

10 Comments
 

was your IB experience at Dubai? Thats pretty solid work experience man and its different from the typical NY-BB IBD guy, I would definately apply to Stanford regardless. A $200~ investment for the app. fee is peanuts if you get in.

 
Best Response

Yes, I'm in Dubai. How'd you guess?

I have the 'cultural' aspect down, I think. I'm Indian by birth, I grew up in the Middle East and I went to university in England. But my GPA would equate to around 3.5 I think, which isn't exactly spectacular. My current bank's definitely the market leader in investment banking in the country, and I could easily make a move to a BB here by the time I'm 24 (I turn 23 in June), but I really want to start my MBA just after I turn 25 (that's August 2010).

The idea of NYC doesn't appeal to me, though I know that's where most of the jobs are. Thus the West Coast angle. Is the experience nowhere near as good? Are rents just as ridiculous? Will I take home $20 a month after tax? I ask you these questions because I am clueless, my Yank friends!

 

Mostly it's the industry focus.

Basically there are 2 major centers for West Coast banking: LA and SF. LA is more focused on leveraged finance, gaming (as in casinos in Vegas, not videogames), and media/entertainment while SF is more focused on tech, healthcare and related industries.

The atmosphere does tend to be more laid back but as always there are exceptions (see: UBS LA, at least the former UBS LA).

 

Both LA and SF sound good, product-group wise. I don't mind the long hours since I'm already a slave to the grind. Is compensation generally comparable to NY? And is job hunting any harder? There seem to be a lot of interesting boutiques working in the area, which sounds very interesting. I'd also like to look for something in VC, but I don't have a tech background at all.

 

Enim repellat nostrum omnis eos maiores error saepe. Iure voluptate maxime sunt qui voluptate et. Molestiae veniam illum et aliquid et. Veritatis explicabo qui minus.

Quidem voluptas id vitae magni mollitia tempora. Omnis maxime nisi sit illo blanditiis atque voluptates. Iusto quo ipsa est consectetur sunt. Accusantium nesciunt ut ducimus consequatur tenetur. Voluptatem cumque est repudiandae occaecati sed iste alias.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • 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 98.2%
  • 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 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 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 (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”