I frankly don't understand why more people don't take their associate promotion seems to be most people in PE take a significant pay cut on top of B-school cost and rarely end up at MFs, while in banking I think if you really work hard you have a 30% chance of making MD? From what I see on the street is at least from VP up hours become a lot better and you have more control over them.
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I honestly think it's that most people in finance are just trying to be the best they can be and outdo everyone to be at the top. Most people in finance are Type A, overachieving personalities who are going for the most prestige and money. Everyone hears about how PE is more prestigious than IB and provides more money through carry so they all want to be there (obviously to many people, they may enjoy being on the other side of the table as well: investing vs. selling).
Keep in mind that everyone has their own goals and values in life, and these may change over time. As you've probably seen on this forum, there are definitely stories out there of people who thought PE was better than IB due to the hours, higher pay and prestige. However, there are many people out there who may not have gone into PE looking back.
Hope this was helpful.
There are a million threads on this topic already
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