Buy side investor relations at mega fund vs sales

Hi all,

At a crossroads in my career right now. Which would be a better career path in terms of exits/salary progression? IR at a mega pe fund or sales? please answer with the fact that I'm not sure what I want to do in the future and am asking strictly from an exits/$ perspective.

Thanks for any help!

2 Comments
 

It depends on what your goals are. In terms of pay, sales will be higher as you move up within an organization. I know someone's going mention David Rubinstein at Carlyle -- but for the most part, IR professionals (who aren't founders of major asset management firms) have a lower ceiling than sales in terms of pay. On that note, I would say Sales probably presents better exit opps as it's more front-office, but I suppose that for either role there really is no "set" career path.

But like I said, depends on what your goals are. From what I've heard, good girls and not-bad hours doing IR.

 

Ad ullam cumque ab modi. Debitis ea consequatur voluptatum pariatur. Deserunt rerum a cupiditate perferendis ut nam.

Iste fugiat a neque esse. Quam voluptatem aut dolorem illo impedit quidem sint. Dicta at distinctio dolorum tempore fuga ea molestias delectus. Facere blanditiis quia sit et iusto soluta voluptatem velit. Consequatur officiis quo adipisci et ducimus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”