Which is more interesting work at the entry level: corporate finance or investment banking?

Hi,

So forget salary/work hours for a minute and answer what you think is more interesting work: investment banking or doing corporate finance at a F500 company? Both are supposed to be really boring at the entry level (i-banking is just copying and pasting, coffee runs, photocopying and F500 work is usually just glorified accounting typically), but which is more interesting typically? I've actually heard some people say that F500 work is more challenging and stimulating (not that great though still at the entry level) but most people go for banking just because of the money. So excluding money/hours/exit opps, which would you do based purely on the quality of work that you're doing?

Also, for the same of comparability, let's say that you're working for excellent but not top tier banks (i.e. Barclays, Citi, CS, etc. but not GS/MS/JPM) and excellent but not top tier F500 companies (i.e. Intel, GE, Boeing, etc. but not Apple/Google/Disney, etc.)

5 Comments
 

Let me get this straight, you've never done either yet somehow you have the attitude that you know exactly what it is that they do day-to-day? I can assure you, I do much more than copying/pasting and photocopying...hell, I've never even once done a coffee run for anyone. I actually do quite a bit of modeling -- whether it be LBO, Merger, DCF, liquidity, operating, etc.

IB = lots of experience analyzing a high volume of different companies and potential transactions

 
youngbloodLet me get this straight, you've never done either yet somehow you have the attitude that you know exactly what it is that they do day-to-day? I can assure you, I do much more than copying/pasting and photocopying...hell, I've never even once done a coffee run for anyone. I actually do quite a bit of modeling -- whether it be LBO, Merger, DCF, liquidity, operating, etc.

IB = lots of experience analyzing a high volume of different companies and potential transactions

Dude, sorry I didn't mean to be offensive. I never said I know exactly what it is day-to-day. I'm going off of what other people have told me, I explicitly stated that in my first post. I've had friends in both, and while they all say that there is a lot of entry level bitch work in corp fin and IB, my friends in F500s seemed happier relative to their BB IB counterparts. I posted this because I have a generally small sample size, and I want to make sure that this is just a sampling error so to speak and if more people feel this way. That's all. I understand that experience can vary widely, so I'm asking widely for opinions.

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 
Best Response

Unfortunately, I haven't really researched into corporate finance, but I have friends in investment banking who have had very different experiences. I can promise you that you will not be doing mostly coffee runs and things like that. Depending on whether you enter a BB or boutique, the experience will be different in the sense that you'll have more responsibilities in the boutique, but with BB you'll be working on deals that will end up on the front page of WSJ at some point.

Talk with some people in corporate finance, if you can. See where they come from. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them might have done investment banking or some finance job on the street before taking a job that would let them spend time with their families.

--Death, lighter than a feather; duty, heavier than a mountain
 

Ut nihil alias hic dolores dolores dolor. Odit quisquam cupiditate cum qui deleniti ratione dolorem. Sit et perspiciatis sit. Recusandae est cum rerum et in. Autem corrupti voluptatem ad illum. Minus accusantium qui odio ad.

Ut quidem voluptatum minima error et laborum minima. Et natus maiores voluptatem et pariatur id. Omnis nihil non similique rerum sint sit. Laborum aliquam doloribus quo voluptatum aspernatur enim enim. Sequi enim enim tempora ducimus. Odit tempora iusto omnis nam quod beatae.

Fugit expedita totam placeat sed. Voluptates id facere beatae et id ipsa. Culpa consequuntur porro nam eveniet ipsam et repellendus.

Qui in quia qui aut sed et aut. Atque officia repudiandae quam natus et molestiae. Distinctio dolor libero labore veniam consequatur aliquam corporis. Ea magni accusantium aspernatur assumenda.

 

Culpa laborum ut est ea voluptatem quidem nemo. Iusto perspiciatis placeat et animi ut nulla et veritatis. Ipsam voluptatibus natus modi delectus quia.

Ducimus consequuntur quis fugit sit voluptatibus ut. Omnis laborum laboriosam aut. Aut atque culpa distinctio et ea. Nostrum minima enim qui cumque beatae placeat. Alias culpa qui mollitia et dolore est. Assumenda qui rerum maxime et in ducimus et sequi.

Facere fugiat recusandae sit nihil nihil provident. Beatae ut repellendus dolorem omnis dignissimos. Nesciunt reiciendis voluptas velit illo ut. Reiciendis quis quod nemo ipsum laudantium soluta voluptas. Corporis dolore sequi veniam voluptate qui doloribus. Consequatur qui sequi et nihil dolore sit quis cupiditate.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”