Any advice, is career banking the move?

Currently a sophomore at a target that received an offer at a decent MM - need some advice and maybe some people to knock some sense into me. I’ve always been the ambitious kind and super competitive so it was definitely a bit of a let down when I couldnt even get interviews this cycle at BBs/EBs despite strong networking with my school teams. Whether it be cuz I’m nondiversity and this cycle especially favored DEI at my school or i just got unlucky, it doesnt matter anymore because it’s probably just all cope. At the end of the day, even if I got an offer and I should be grateful for it, it’s a bit disappointing especially since there were so many people that believed in me and thought I was gonna do great things. Considering I had 4 legit internships (not search fund) that i worked for and I had a strong gpa + club leadership, I thought so too. I didn’t grow up financially stable + first gen so on one hand my brain tells me that I should be grateful for what i have but at the same time the other competitive side makes me feel disappointed/slightly upset - not sure if anyone has the same feeling as this sometimes. the firm i got an offer from is known to have an amazing culture and pays really well, it just isnt considered a top mm. i wanted to have a lot of optionality when it comes to exit opportunities but just browsing through linkedin doesnt raise my hopes since most people just stay on as a career banker and there were close to no laterals to better banks as well. any advice would be nice for what to do now, sorry for ranting appreciate the help.

8 Comments
 

Hey man, don’t beat yourself up too much. Getting any reputable IB offer is an accomplishment, especially as a non diverse candidate nowadays, regardless of the firm’s “ranking”

Also, full time recruiting is always an option if you want to maximize your buyside exit ops. It is a bit tough/random, but the market in 2025 will be a LOT better than how it is now.

Ps, looking back, prestige does not really matter for shit. I know it is hard to accept this, but chasing it only makes you more miserable. Coming from personal experience!

 

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