BO job at GS or FO job at a boutique?

I'm starting a corporate finance internship at Goldman Sachs this week, which is a back office job. Although I'm excited to work at this company, I am more intrigued by something front office like IB or PE. That being said, should I:

1) Accept a BO job at GS (if given return offer) or 2) Try to land a FO job at a smaller bank or boutique?

What are the pros and cons of these 2 career paths?

5 Comments
 

There are a lot of threads about this on WSO. Try searching for them.

In terms of advice though, the general consensus is that it is pretty hard to move from BO to FO in the same firm. It is much easier to transition from doing one thing at one place to doing the same thing at a different place. Also, if you are intrigued by FO, then why don't you actually pursue it even though it may be at a boutique? That way, you can tell whether you actually like FO.

 
Most Helpful

Go for the front office position at a lesser shop, without a doubt.

We've been conditioned to think in terms of brands, but one should always chose function over reputation. There is a Jewish saying "it is better to be a tail to a lion than a head of a fox" but it's one of the few times when the Jews got it wrong. You get to eat more as a head and would not get any shit splatter like you would being a tail.

I have a friend who lives in the country, and it's supposed to be an hour from 42nd Street. A lie! The only thing that's an hour from 42nd Street is 43rd Street!
 
"Mostly Random Dude" Go for the front office position at a lesser shop, without a doubt.

We've been conditioned to think in terms of brands, but one should always chose function over reputation. There is a Jewish saying "it is better to be a tail to a lion than a head of a fox" but it's one of the few times when the Jews got it wrong. You get to eat more as a head and would not get any shit splatter like you would being a tail.

I don't think the Jews got it wrong. It's just that phrase doesn't apply to the case here.

 

Expedita consequatur magnam quod nihil fugit facilis. Reiciendis alias voluptas ut dolor iusto a. Cumque suscipit asperiores deserunt sint ut necessitatibus.

Similique libero nulla quis quo non sunt sunt. Rem nisi sequi error et. Ea similique hic reiciendis eligendi omnis et. Praesentium minima nihil nemo magni consectetur.

Temporibus esse laudantium blanditiis et. Maxime eos quam reiciendis minus dolorem architecto.

Eveniet pariatur non non fugit ratione placeat. Vel ipsum iusto nihil atque. Qui atque qui distinctio recusandae nostrum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (24) $180
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (82) $151
  • 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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”