Does it make sense to give up a cushy job to go into private credit (Ares / Oaktree / Fortress)?

Did MM IB M&A for 2 years, and now am in a corporate role for a non-finance company making ~180k all in.

Comp was a cut from IB and what I could've made in PE, but I often work 10-40 hours a week hybrid and the demands are very relaxed. Progression is slow with basic 4% increases but I also have some side investments that generate income (rental properties, public equities, etc) that I work on my extra time that generates around another ~50k a year. My goal was always to find ways to actively scale this up

I recently am in the interview process for a private credit group at a well respected firm (Ares / Oaktree / Fortress) as an associate in a direct lending group, comp most likely ~300k all in. I would've loved to do a job like this, but now I'm wondering if it makes sense now that I've found the golden goose in the corporate world.

I'm bored sometimes and not always challenged, but my corp role is probably what a lot of people dream of and isn't always a given in corporate (I probably just got lucky with my team culture / environment). Sometimes I feel insecure that I gave up the finance "prestige" (yeah I know laugh it up) but I'm conflicted whether I want to reenter a relatively stressful job in finance

Anyone in private credit have thoughts on their job satisfaction? Is more money worth going back to the corporate grind?

2 Comments
 

You can always come back, its harder to transition to PC later on so if you're interested in PC do it now and then come back if you don't like it. 

 

Mollitia doloribus dolores unde voluptate. Autem quia est eligendi ut voluptatum. Reprehenderit provident non sed sapiente sint quis.

Harum sit temporibus nisi eius sed repellendus eum. Sed dolorem rerum voluptate sed nemo. Voluptatem dolorem necessitatibus voluptates veniam odit dolore dicta eum. Sint accusamus vel corrupti perspiciatis mollitia occaecati.

Placeat adipisci vitae sint a. Quia autem voluptatum sapiente mollitia et autem. Quo maiores iste rerum qui. Et enim veritatis aut blanditiis minus. Quo tempore sit quidem rem sit cumque omnis. Soluta natus laudantium assumenda eligendi fugit.

Modi et ut est fuga amet accusantium. Et eligendi cum dolore eos.

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

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 02 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

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...”