Specifically targeting Industrials. All I know is that PE isn't for me.
Is it at the associate level? VP? I know there will be a significant reduction in comp but at what level minimizes what you leave on the table?
Can an ASO exit to a Manager position? Can a VP exit to a senior manager / director position?
| +270 | Why UBS Is the Worst Place to Start Your IB Career | 42 | 15h |
| +220 | UBS 2nd Year Analyst Q&A (2026) | 41 | 2d |
| +141 | UBS IB 26Q2 a Disaster! Advisory Revenue Down 23%, Capital MarketsDown 5% | 20 | 10h |
| +135 | Downfall of Qatalyst | 28 | 5h |
| +108 | What's your craziest "hardo" story? | 18 | 1d |
| +86 | Lincoln International Return Offers | 30 | 52m |
| +57 | Wolf of Wall Street vs. Reality: Anyone else feel scammed by the movies? | 19 | 1d |
| +43 | so confused about 28 SA timeline | 30 | 1d |
| +34 | Rate my non-target resume | 19 | 1d |
| +33 | [WSO MODS] Please Delete This BS Host Books Spam! | 2 | 1d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
Associate can be a manager. For VPs, can be tough to find a spot in the hierarchy. Not qualified enough to be a Director (at least in F500), but can feel like manager or senior manager is beneath them.
VP in banking could land a Director role at F500. Maybe not first year VP who started as an associate, though, at least at some places.
this really is not the case for desirable companies - unless you live somewhere undesirable / in flyover country like Iowa.
Technically maybe F400-500 companies it's possible - but absolutely not for F100 (or F200)
Associate maps to manger. VP/D1 maps to senior manager. I know global group heads that came in at corporate F200 VP. and Directors that came in at Senior Manager.
I used to work for a F200 and if there was a BB/EB VP candidate, I'm sure we would have considered them if a Director role had been open. We hired people with much less relevant experience at the Mgr/Sr Mgr level (and this was in a pretty good location - Chicago, LA type place). Unless you're trying to work at mega tech or maybe the best consumer brands, I'd be very surprised if this wasn't the case. When we were hiring Mgr / Sr Mgr, the best people straight from IB that we had interview were seemingly shitty associates.
Maybe not the case for a recently promoted VP with just 3-4 YOE and nothing relevant pre-MBA.
Most F200 companies are not HQ'd in NYC or SF, and a surprising number of them are not household names. I mean look at the top 25 and you have UnitedHealth outside Minneapolis and Cencora outside Philly, Cardinal Health outside Columbus, Ford and GM in/near Detroit, Elevance in Indy, Centene in St Louis, Marathon in the middle of nowhere Ohio, Kroger in Cincy. Maybe a couple of those would have their Corp Dev group elsewhere but I kind of doubt it. I promise you Directors and MDs are not beating down their doors to come in as Directors in Corp Dev.
point being - the company culture at most F100 / F200 is to not even take external applications at the director level. Exxon and Chevron are certainly that way.
agree on no relevant pre-MBA experience being a relevant topic. Not sure Chicago / LA are similarly competitive locations though (ex. Exelon in Chicago is always dying for finance talent in Chicago...for a reason and the exception to the rule re: hiring bankers and leveling)
my take would be 3rd year VP
just when people are going to shit on you for origination, you GTFO
but most people will just see the large carrot and try to go for D and tell themselves MD is within reach..............
Debitis et voluptatem sed officia accusamus. Sit delectus nam dicta laborum. Labore consequatur deserunt harum reiciendis sed ipsam. Aut fugit consectetur maxime sed. Labore occaecati delectus consequatur. Occaecati nihil est sint minima earum dolorum omnis.
Fugit voluptatem sed non id incidunt. Vel et dolorum at eligendi. Sed id consequuntur libero praesentium officiis pariatur cum. Molestiae similique nesciunt consectetur reprehenderit et.
Labore distinctio architecto quasi inventore quasi dolores. Modi id quo necessitatibus nostrum molestias. Ipsam reiciendis sunt autem molestiae veritatis. Natus tempora consequuntur architecto pariatur nesciunt dolores quis. Molestiae earum enim quis quo vero. Nisi error vitae minus voluptatem voluptates quam.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...