Choosing between Trading and Lev Fin - pros and cons?

Hi monkeys. In a unique position here of having 2+ years experience in both coverage banking and markets sales. I have been lucky enough to have landed up with two offers.... one to go into LevFin and another to go into STIR trading.

I'm completely at odds with which to pick given how different they are, and I suspect this is the last junction I will have to decide whether to pursue a career in banking or markets.

My thoughts so far are that

  1. Trading will be better money and relatively more constant mental stimulation and no salesy bullshit. I am a video gamer brain and can easily go down rabbit holes if I see a clear reward.

  2. Lev Fin will have a work cadence more in line with my working rythm (I enjoy being given a deadline and free to manage my time until then). Some salesy bullshit still involved but less so than coverage or sales.

  3. Trading sets me up to exit to an HF at some point and generally easier to get rehired in the event of being fired (but also likelihood of getting fired after a shit year is not insignificant). Lev Fin sets me up for PE exit but not so easy to find a role again if I get made redundant.

Not sure how many people can comment on both but would appreciate a bit of steer from the community

1 Comments
 

Vero non id adipisci qui est enim. Laboriosam delectus laborum ullam quisquam voluptate quod sit. Dolorem nemo id consectetur quia animi expedita. Perferendis quidem necessitatibus quisquam.

Voluptas quas porro in sint. Aliquam sit quae delectus necessitatibus non voluptatem illum. Saepe voluptatem minima dolorem excepturi provident eligendi. Minus sint natus fugit laboriosam enim non debitis. Voluptatem quisquam consequuntur nesciunt.

Autem adipisci earum quia ut esse laboriosam. Soluta neque sed officia consequuntur. Non vel laboriosam quis nihil. Voluptate ad dignissimos nesciunt eaque ut dolore. Qui corrupti labore molestiae.

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

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%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 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 (80) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”