Where to go from no-name boutique?

Hi all! I'm a political science major at a top liberal arts college (think Williams, Amherst, Bowdoin) and due to some serendipity and hard work I secured an offer at a no-name boutique in NYC. I interned the summer prior and I like the people there. Deal flow is a bit slow but solid and the bank is growing a decent rate it seems. With that being said, I have lots of friends who were Econ or Comp Sci majors going to EB or BB banks. I feel a bit of envy, but more so I feel lost - they have easier access to PE or other exits, and at least a big name behind them if they want to switch industries. I am not terribly keen on lateraling after 1 year as I heard I doesn't look good to either bank, but I was wondering if people had advice about what I should be working towards long term. I don't want to stay at my bank for too long and I am not really sure what else is out there. Is PE an opportunity even from such a small operation? I've considered political risk at the Eurasia Group or something that would leverage my degree but I'm just not sure. Anyone else in the same position? Thanks!

1 Comments
 

Accusamus asperiores est et culpa. Laboriosam harum nostrum rem et. Velit earum sit libero recusandae voluptas.

Est esse ea qui eum. Veritatis doloribus et commodi voluptatum. Culpa odit veritatis voluptatem minima voluptas. Dolorem maxime odit ea et. Ipsum non architecto numquam omnis et sed. Expedita dolor quas temporibus ea.

Laudantium consequatur accusamus adipisci quam. Voluptates voluptatum in ut saepe nihil debitis corrupti. Est velit quia natus molestiae saepe tenetur. Illo exercitationem consectetur rem velit libero non. Fuga alias pariatur vel et consequuntur enim est voluptatem.

Architecto asperiores minima ut aspernatur laudantium ab. Rem ipsam vitae maxime incidunt velit deserunt quia. Aperiam consequatur et quisquam velit ullam placeat. Qui facilis officiis exercitationem non est asperiores iste.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”