I am at a top business school recruiting for IB. I have 12 first round interviews with “top” banks and groups like JPM HC, GS, PJT, Evercore, etc. However, I haven’t really loved my interactions with banks and people in NYC. People are extreme hardos and everyone gets crushed and burned out within 2 years of starting.
I also have an offer with a BB (not “prestigious” but seems to be growing) in a city like Houston, Charlotte, Atlanta. The team is very down-to-Earth and chill. I think it’s a decent place to be as the bank looks to expand its IB. Comp is decent. It appears to be a more manageable lifestyle and they really like me, so I’m sure I’d be able to stick around longer and build more of a career there.
Is it worth grinding it out for a more prestigious offer and trying to last 2-3 years? Or should I go to the bank that everyone trashes on here that I could be at for a while?
I will have $200k in loans to pay off :(
How the hell did you get 12 interviews including with such top firms lol? Are you DEI? I'm at a top school and haven't come across of anyone getting that many interviews (maybe vets)
Not DEI. Straight white dude lol. Idk I have somewhat relevant experience and I was a D1 athlete which probably helped.
Athlete.. ok that makes sense
Josh Rosen is that you?
I work in SF and can tell you lifestyle in SF is significantly better than in NYC so I would encourage you to make the lifestyle choice, especially if you want to stay in banking....you're not trying to exit anywhere and prestige is completely overblown by kids that are 20 whereas enjoying what you do and the people you do it with are much more important factors in this job....having said that I have heard from friends that banking in Houston is not chill, a lot of sweaty groups out there, Charlotte and Atlanta I've heard better things but would not walk into Houston thinking it's going to be much better than NYC
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, so the group sits in Charlotte, which seems pretty chill and is much cheaper. I almost feel like there’s no point in chasing prestige just to get blown out in 2 years and have to reassess my career. Wouldn’t it be better to go somewhere “bad” but last 5+ years with people who I like more? Maybe this is absolute cope, but my classmates are hyper caught up in prestige and can’t see past the next 5 mins. Seems crazy to me…
Edit: the bank is WF
What makes SF lifestyle better than NYC?
Hours are definitely better and it's a more efficient setup, generally I wake up and there's work to do because I'm getting work from people on the east coast, on the flip side I never work as late as my colleagues on the east coast because I rarely have to stay up waiting for comments....additionally people are just way more chill in SF, they have lives and families outside of work, they take full advantage of all the things to do in the bay, whereas during the times I've worked in NYC the people are all about the grind and make their identity all about banking
How is dating scene in SF?
Yeah I've only heard good things about groups in Charlotte, my buddy at WF loves it there, and like you said the COL is so much better there compared to NYC, obviously it's not GS in NYC so you most likely won't be working on the next Microsoft / Blizzard acquisition, but if you click with the team and get a good vibe from the office I would choose it every time....in NYC people define themselves by doing this work, everywhere else I think people recognize there's a world outside of banking and are more respectful of having some boundaries
Good to hear. A part of me (and my classmates regularly say it) feels that a top degree is “wasted” on WF Charlotte and I’m sure my exit ops won’t be amazing. But I think they’ll be cooked in 2-3 years (or less) and I can (if WF continues to grow) make at least VP and probably have decent ops then.
Again, maybe this is cope or taking the easy way out. But idk…life in Charlotte on decent comp feels pretty sweet. I could live in a very nice apartment 5 mins walk from work for $2k lol.
That’s not cope - that’s having a balanced view of who you are and what YOU want
Quality and cost of life in CLT is great - to your point, can get a sick apt in a good part of the city for a cheap rate (compared to NYC/ others comp cities). Clt is growing rapidly, it’s great for a guy in his young 20’s. Tons of bars and breweries
Laborum quo eaque et illo quod neque. Magnam sed placeat in eos et ut. Sit qui ut laboriosam quis ducimus officia.
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